A new chapter of wildfires and smoke has burned into September. You may have heard about this one, the Delta Fire, closing off Interstate 5 in California.

As the smoke smeared the sky, its influences skewed my streams. I found myself mumbling the lyrics to The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” (2002) as I trudged along and damned the smoke and fires.

It’s the second verse that I mumbled sang:

Don’t wanna hear about it
Every single one’s got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell
And if I catch it comin’ back my way
I’m gonna serve it to you
And that ain’t what you want to hear
But that’s what I’ll do

h/t AZLyrics.com

I was prompted by thinking, what’s the point of complaining about this? Nations and civilizations emerge and crash in a cycle as big as an ice age. Within the cycles are stories of desperation, struggle, hope and survival. Many stories are far worse than mine, and often hidden from view. Hence, I mumble sang, “Don’t wanna hear about it. Every sing one’s got a story to tell.”