Mt. St. Helens, WA

* The sixth in a series of travelogue poems



Snow in May

Darkness in mid-morning;

Mary cried and told the world about Jesus--

     The fierce power of God’s systematic wrath,


     Or the cold inevitability of random catastrophic eruption?—


James calmly calculated the risks

While wiping down the Portland streets with a hand towel;

     The worshippers laid alms on the edge of the mountain


     Hoping to win the gods’ favor and grace


A geological timeline of our feeble attempt to steer the ship:

As the blackbird creates the weather systems,

The freeway determines the traffic volume,

Or the pinot noir orders itself from the menu,

We are in complete control

By: Jake Adams