The evidence of the long past violence abounds
vesicular andesites litter the beach
interspersed with the remains of tiny freshwater clams
the inner shells gleaming white in the rising sun
the fog of my breath grey in the cold morning of October
even in that early impossibly bright sun
everything peels away in layers
starting at the hot inner core
always described as red,
yet impossible because no light ever emanates from that deep domain
then ever cooling as the surface of the planet comes nearer
the core cooling into mantle into crust into surface
then diving back to repeat the constantly renewing cycle
but sometimes the core must have its say
as on this beach
where molten rock was once pushed and strewn in some upheaval
on some long ago lost day
so I walk and look north
the layers continuing
the blue of the water, grebes afloat, chirping
the grey mist, fingers outstretched entwining
the green of the trees, dry awaiting the snows of winter
the grey of the smoke, curling in and out
the green of the trees again as the mountain rises
the grey of the peak of Mt. Lassen, remnant of the progenitor of destruction
the blue of the clear morning sky, cormorants in flight
10/9/09
Lake Almanor
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