Vesuvius

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Vesuvius

When the earth shrugs,
some warnings are better
heeded. A little

smoke, some ash.
A knife point held to the chin.

Why listen at all?
The man in the big house hides in its vastness.
Surrounded, he walks alone.
People speak, but he hears only himself.

Meanwhile,
the mountain
belches

and the birds fly north
seeking firm ground
upon which to land.

* * *

“Vesuvius” was first published in The Big Windows Review in December 2017. Thanks to editor Thomas Zimmerman for accepting this piece.

15 thoughts on “Vesuvius”

  1. Why listen at all? A question I’ve recently asked myself. As you say, though — and if past is prologue — “some warnings are better heeded.” We turn a blind eye to what’s happening around us at our personal (and collective) peril.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I’d love to be able to tune out all the horrible noise, but no matter how I try, it oozes into my day. And yes, I believe that if we do not heed these warnings, we are imperiling ourselves.

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  3. Robert, this is a beautiful piece of poetry, especially here:

    “People speak, but he hears only himself.

    Meanwhile,
    the mountain
    belches

    and the birds fly north
    seeking firm ground
    upon which to land.”

    Simply beautiful.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  5. Pingback: Vesuvius — O at the Edges – burndoubt

  7. Pingback: Vesuvius — O at the Edges | hands in the garden

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