Penny Ante Feud 14: the Fires of Earth

This is an easy job. You send me in your poems (one at a time) and I put them together with the others I receive and give them back to you, hopefully in a more usable form. Often I get the sense that you are writing them especially for me ? or to me ? like a letter you would send to a friend or one you would hope to get: a stay of execution or what have you. O, of course, the theme: The Fires of Earth. Well, in deference to "Our Fair Sister" we've all heard about the fires of that other place, but for now they're just rumors and besides, we're all still here, and although sometimes it's not pretty, it's better than the alternative. Plus, it just sounds cool, like some serial sci-fi fantasy drama. And we're still here ? I know I already said that but it bears repeating. So we'll just continue to stick around then. Smoke if you got 'em.