Against a clear blue sky
Gunung Rinjani casts
a formidable shadow.
Simmering for years,
the threat of eruption pulls
the heart
the lungs
the legs
forward
in breathless pursuit
of it’s summit.
Inside
a smoldering history
of lives lived,
of lives lost,
of dreams, delayed.
The ascent casts a spell.
A clear path buffered by trees,
ribbons of soft white clouds caress
the face
the neck
the shoulders.
A welcome diversion
as the air thins
as doubt rises
thousands of feet above the sea.
Perched high
far from the world below
the long graceful curve of the summit
beckons,
the deep waters of Segara Anak
glisten,
the sky makes way
for an all encompassing darkness.
The eyes close now.
In their place
only the heart can hear
Orpheus’ song,
only love would follow
this steep treacherous road.
In dreams
the wind is a gentle force
pushing Eurydice forward.
In dreams
the eyes open to a new life
at the end of a long arduous climb.
This, is not the story.
The illusion of safety
fades from view.
Weary legs fail
to remain steady
on a shifting trail
of stone and ash.
The fall from here
would be fatal.
Alone
the Sun rises again
upon a desolate landscape
coaxing the chill
from trembling hands.
The wind continues to howl
filling the air
with words drawn
from the depths of the Earth.
Songs of courage
in one breath,
songs of longing,
in yet another.
becoming tabitha 