Of Mountain, Magma, and Lake
For as long as they could remember the Mountain stood
Awesome and snow-capped, towering in the western sky.
They lived in the marshland to the east.
We know them from their sandals and decoys.
Then everything changed in a massive upheaval
As magma exploded the mountain, Mazama.
It covered their world to distances and time
They could never imagine and altered their world forever.
Upheaval continued as a new cinder cone grew in the crater,
Then went quiet as the crater filled with water.
Now we call it Crater Lake. We call it a National Park,
Two words they would not have understood.
Another mountain stood tall and white
As long as any of us could remember,
Until David Johnson cried "This is it!"
And magma blew Mt. St. Helens to the skies.
Further magma upheaval built a new dome in the crater.
We stand on the jagged edge, above the fumes,
And look at the continuing slow eruption
Wondering what the future mountain will look like.
My life's little mountains, snowy and beautiful, I've climbed,
Striving toward dreamt-of summits, until suddenly they blew up.
Powerless against the magma building within them,
I've stood on the jagged rims, looking at the forces building new domes.
Each of these mountains has rebuilt itself,
With new rims, domes, summits, and
Craters full of water, some beautiful, some full of logs.
The world goes on and we must endure.
For as long as we can remember, we've camped
At the foot of the mountain called Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
We've stood in awe of the snowy peak that nourished our spirits.
We've drawn life from the marshes, fields, ponds, streams, and groves.
Suddenly we are dumb-struck by the eruption of ugly, noxious gases
Boiling up at the heart of our sacred mountain, threatening us with the
poison of hate.
That deep magma chamber will continue to erupt
For we don't know how long, before it is stilled.
We stand on the rim of the crater and stare, feeling helpless.
When will our eyes see anew the beautiful display pond?
When will our mountain be whole again?
When can we return to her comforting embrace?
Paul T. Sullivan
paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
503-472-5306 h
971-237-4864 c
