distant rumblings
watching news
without tv

We are allowed onto the rooftop of our house only once in my lifetime, May 18, 1980. The first time Mount Saint Helen's erupts. The neighbors start arguing how far the winds will blow the ash, if it will ruin the crops thus raising prices, and if the summer weather will be cooler as a result. The smaller kids play as though nothing is happening, but everyone keeps looking to the horizon.

waiting—
we eat dinner 
from our rooftops

Dad plugs in an old AM/FM radio into an outdoor socket where we listen to up-to-date coverage. Last night, we saw Harry Truman on the news and how he refused to evacuate his lodge at Spirit Lake. Seeing footage of his home, we all sympathize with his decision. He is 1 of 3 granted permission to stay in the restricted area, as the others begin their eviction out of Eden. I pray Harry Truman will beat the volcano.

The giant mushroom cloud of smoke and ash continues with ominous rumblings. When my father leaves to buy supplies, us kids are scared he won't return, even though we are far from the danger zone. He later arrives with some food, batteries and face masks. Some of thedads laugh about the face masks but not when Dad says he had to go to three stores to find anything, most had bare shelves including the 7-11s and am/pm markets. 

diversions—
residents sweeping ash
as a souvenir

Our entire neighborhood is quiet, most sitting in our yard, hushed voices as we hear the body count. These dead bodies are supposed to be in the "safe" zone, miles away from the destruction of the volcano; but not far enough. Now even the small kids are quiet, some are sleeping. The adults are anxious for information regarding our fate. Will we need to evacuate? They all want to know when it will stop. I wait to hear about Harry Truman.

We learn Harry is 1 out of 57 victims of Saint Helen's. Afterward, I never consider her much of a saint or a mountain. Of course, I know Harry disagrees; a martyr to her beauty and power. 

Fuji-san of America— 
yesterday . . . majestic;
now, a smoky crater    

spring challenge
a man stands his ground
and loses

(Harry Truman was a Washington resident who died in the Mt St Helen's May 1980 eruption, not the late president.)

** Previously published in bottle rockets press

       Photo credit: Free Domain