Pele's Promise
Donna Carey
Her heart reaches out to me in winter
through December winds
I feel the song, the cry
Phosphor burns like Pele’s eye
finished the prayer
enter
possess
this is the day for a plunge in the sea
Shearing reds rattle my soul
ancient blood beats
she tucked hibiscus there
to bloom beyond ice walls
knowing the cold is not real
not as real as she or I
Through the arctic veil
a hummingbird sails
to anoint the plumeria
I watch with joy
lost in a flower
thinking how lovely the mountain apples
on the moons of Mauna Loa
must be this time of year
the sweet lavender bells of wild jacarandas
they ring and ring, until I answer her...
By the water, by the water
clutching handfuls of foam
preparing for passage into the worlds unknown
until I answer her by the water (yes the water)
mist draped (being ocean borne)
until I answer her cry:
Phosphor burns like Pele’s eye
finished the prayer
enter
possess
this is our day for a plunge in the sea
Through this pane of snow, a delicacy blows
into pahoehoe tubes
I listen, drawn by the sound,
knowing that tephra isn’t real
as the black skies or the blue seas
I feel--consumed by her touch
(sure of) radiant spirits in volcanic rush
and the magic
of blood red ghost clouds
that pound and pound
Until I answer their sacred sound...
Until I answer her...
By the water, by the water
clutching handfuls of foam
preparing for passage into the worlds unknown
until I answer her by the water, yes the water
mist draped (being ocean borne)
until I answer her cry:
Phosphor burns like Pele’s eye
finished the prayer
enter
possess
this is our day for a plunge in the sea
Her heart
reaches out to me on winter winds
breathing fire from the cinder cones
her heart, wild, and
mysterious as home