Departure

They left Krakatoa, but not soon enough.

August 1883, a
ship sailing away
from an island in the
Sunda Strait…
a volcano main
called Krakatoa,
power of nature,
eruption, explosion
like many hydrogen
bombs…Earth in
convulsions,
earthquakes and
tidal waves, fire
and ash, a sky
turned red, the
deafening blast,
their island take
of bananas and
coconuts not much
good to them now…
the sea gives way,
the heat intense,
they hug each other
as faces pale, as
heartbeats race
and panic darts
from rail to rail.
A gathering of island
bounty, yet in vain.
Death draws its shroud.
Agony lasts eternally,
only when you leave.


32 Lines
Writer’s Cramp Winner
2-27-20

The eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, in the Sunda Strait (Indonesia), was one
of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history.


Required:
—ship sailing
—bananas
—coconuts
—agony lasts eternally
—only when you leave