A Poem on Lava as Etna Erupts

Etna erupting. Photo Credit. Boris Behncke @etnaboris

Given Mt Etna’s recent and potentially ongoing eruptions, my lava poem is a timely reminder of the power of natural geological forces.

lava

birthed
in the mouth
of the mountain

black-flecked
pink flesh

gouging
an urgent
path

anaconda

curling
into hollows

where pools spit

forked tongues

Carolyn Waudby

It was inspired by the Werner Herzog film The Fire Within – a celebration of the imagery captured by volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft, which premiered in my home city of Sheffield at the international DocFest 2022.

The film includes long sections of volcano footage captured by the couple, supported by music and sparse narration. It acts as a biography and ‘requiem’: the Kraffts were killed in 1991 by a pyroclastic flow on Mount Unzen, Japan, whilst filming.

I was mesmerised by the beauty of the volcanic lava flows and eruptions but at the same time horrified by the death and destruction they caused.

blog by Carolyn Waudby