Saturday, December 15, 2007

Plinian, by Meredith Bragg



When the stones rained down
And smoke rose above the clouds
Dodging debris
My uncle put his fleet to sea
And as he waived and turned away
Set his sails across the bay
Who could ever guess
My dear Tacitus
The gods were so enraged

And the lightning arced
And dust turned the daylight dark
And the helmsmen cried
Wondered if they'd survive
But through the thickening smoke
They found the harbor choked
Still he urged them on
While he stayed calm
And the ash fell like snow

And the mountain growled
Tearing the buildings down
And for two dark days
Fires lit the Naples Bay
And when it came for them to leave
There was no escape by sea
And his body fell as the vapor swelled
They say he died as if asleep

A lonely ridge
A couple focus in
Their lenses train
On smoke, and fire, and flame
And in unison they rise
As the plume reached greater heights
While around the bend a grey cloud descends
That will be their demise

And with blindingly speed
They are both killed instantly
And the island roars
Boiling the ocean floor
Though their bodies disappear
Mingle with the earth and air
They will echo on through the work they've done
Projected through the years


((This a pop song! Americana! New Weird America! Naturalismo! Call it whatever! The fact is: american pop folk becomes PHD! Their Myspace page))