.
A road in Villa La Angostura, southern Argentina, is blanketed with sand and volcanic ash from the eruption of the Chilean Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano, 17 June 2011: photo by Federico Grosso/Associated Press
As the world turns and is obscured
by a soft grey brown covering
as though seen through oatmeal
porous confusing and confused
After every little stroke more
difficult to make out the signs
each time the hope growing stronger
when the eyes open again
it won't be there any more
save in the memory of all its glory
10 comments:
Tom,
Thanks for such "earth watch" (hadn't heard about this event, and --
"when the eyes open again
it won't be there any more
save in the memory. . ."
7.14
pink edge of cloud in sky above shadowed
ridge, blue jay landing on redwood fence
in foreground, waves sounding in channel
has sunk away, such that to
one who has forgotten
as possible distance, since
the event, eventually
grey white fog against invisible ridge,
whiteness of gull disappearing into it
Steve,
We were concerned because our friend
Lucy in the Sky lives nearby.
Thank you, Tom. It has been a difficult time indeed, especially for the beings living near Villa La Angostura and Bariloche. While some people have lost it all and many animals have starved, here it has been a little bit more than a nuisance, especially for the lungs. But it is Mother Nature claiming her rights to rule over the earth, the same rights She has had since time immemorial, even before us humans dared to appear on the face of the earth.
The second picture portrays a scene that lies very near my home. It is so sad to see it all in grey...
Lucy,
You've been correct about Mother Nature all along -- that was my thought in viewing and reading your post.
But once She washes all that ash away (if She hasn't done so already)... hopefully your home will return to that near-pristine state which the great majority of us, in these infernal polluted cities, can only imagine.
(And envy!)
Tom,
Thanks for that note and link to Lucy's world, which now needs a good wash from those cold and clear heavens (which may still be up there, somewhere). . .
Mother Nature is certainly washing and blowing the ash away, little by little. I miss the colors of my paradise, but I know they are there somewhere.
Thank you Tom and Stephen =)
amazing pic Tom and beautiful words...we got the ashes twenty days after the eruption ...and I could see it from the far in Valdivia
Reading your poem, which describes so well sights I've never seen (the crisis scenes shown in the photos), and then reading the correspondence between still-connected friends in faraway places is remarkable. The contrast between this and the petty skirmishing I see every day is both uplifting and dispiriting. It's early Saturday morning and the dogs are barking for something, so I'm going to "choose uplifting".
It's early Saturday morning here and low visibility -- fog shrouding everything...
Tom,
"shrouding" is the operative word, into which "everything has apparently disappeared. . . .
Post a Comment