Flames that hurt
Flames that hurt The frightening sound seems to be ripped out from the ground, like the screams of those who are threatened by the flames are ripped out from their chests. Life is suspended at the mercy of the fire´s paced advance. The flames swing from tree to tree, prowling, taking everything in their crossing. When the fire gets out of control it gets the houses, the livelihood of those who live off the land, the animals and lives. One can hear the sound of fire, the screams and prayers of people who raise their arms towards the sky in supplication. The flames reduce them, they are diminished by the advances of the blaze that burns the money and the medicine they keep indoors. We thought we had seen the worst in 2003 and 2005, in those long days of fight against the fire. But the 2017 tragedy emptied us of words and sense. The images of those days fix the unutterable. Maria Cláudia Monteiro