Old Lava Flow

      forever,
it flowed to the sea:
   hot orange rock,
thick liquid rolling,

   down to the sea,
too hot to imagine.

bright orange
      in darkness,

      flowing lava
   makes such a
festive nighttime
   show for all
   the tourists.

      steam hisses as
   liquid rock hits
the ocean waves.

   cooling boulders
fall even further,

under the waves
   until something
      stops them.

Fire Air and Water

      a beach 
with no name,
where the lava
   flowed down
      to the sea,

   a secret place,
not on any map,

but a friendly
   local told us
      we should go.

   such a quiet,
private place
   in paradise!

no other tourists,
      we listened to
waves smashing
   on lava rocks

      the sound of
   seabirds and
the south pacific!

      a beach 
with no name,
where the lava
   flowed down
      to the sea,

   a secret place,
not on any map

South Sea Shore

      waves in the
water, smashing
on a lava shore,

   hot tropical
      sunshine
      leaves me 
wanting more.

   a wall separates 
us from each other
      and our world.

      a return 
      to those
lava islands,

sea colours
      splashing
around the
rocks swirled. 

      those times
   have passed;
those times may 
      not return.

   we always try
but sometimes
      fail to learn.

Wave Break

once in a long time,
the wave you tried
      to photograph

is exactly right
   as your mind
   saw it, is there
in the camera.

   frozen, mid-air,
stopped and you
   see everything

as it was, and
      you want to
shout, really
      really loud.

   did i mention,
      it doesn't 
happen often?


      the horizon 
clearly curves,
   downwards
   at the ends,
 
      when you get
   high enough
         you see it.

   sometimes we
need to see things
   from a little
      higher up,
 
      than our 
usual position 
to see things 
      as they
really are.

View From Above

   from way up there
i could see for miles.
the horizon curved.

(nothing flat there)
   the view was fine.

   island paradises
are sweet spots
   for a quick visit.

      why do i always
want to go home
about two weeks
   after arriving?

beautiful ocean
blue green and
      cloudy skies. 

gorgeous place
      with stories
   everywhere...

      tropical rain
keeps things green

pirates died 
      of thirst
across the way.

      fifteen men on
a dead man's chest.
it was over there,
   on that beach.

and then the wind
blew up, furious!
      we had to go.