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  <title>Caveat Lector</title>
  <subtitle>Let the Reader Beware</subtitle>
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  <updated>2008-03-17T11:43:22+00:00</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>Brittle</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.caveatlector.com/content/brittle" />
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    <published>2008-03-17T11:43:22+00:00</published>
    <updated>2008-03-17T11:43:22+00:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Chris</name>
    </author>
    <category term="Big Island" />
    <category term="elizabeth humphries" />
    <category term="hawaii" />
    <category term="liz" />
    <category term="liz humphries" />
    <category term="poem" />
    <category term="poetry" />
    <category term="prose poetry" />
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p>we ambled along the<BR /> crunchy surfaces<BR /> of the hard lava.</p>
<p> the sun was late<BR /> we help bags of cameras<BR /> and flashlights</p>
<p> sulphur and steam<BR /> scratched the vog hazy<BR /> sky like signals</p>
<p> ropes and cones<BR /> directed us to the<BR /> molten pourings</p>
<p> Mauna Loa, Kilauea,<BR /> vents, to the sea, more<BR /> mileage for the Island</p>
<p> we couldn't see the<BR /> soft stone from deep<BR /> below once magma</p>
<p> for the sea was far<BR /> and the foot holds were<BR /> perilous, the air cold</p>
<p> we wore hiking boots<BR /> we wore short pants<BR /> we wore t-shirts</p>
<p> we wore windbreakers<BR /> around out middles but<BR /> the head from the nearing</p>
<p> lava was like the sun mid<BR /> day on a windless deck<BR /> on a windless summer day</p>
<p> covered in asphalt<BR /> covered in asphalt<BR /> covered in asphalt</p>
<p> a mid summer say<BR /> windless and sunny<BR /> covered in asphalt</p>
<p> we had seen petroglyph<BR /> we had seen where women<BR /> offered umbilical cords</p>
<p> this place has mana from<BR /> pele, the goddess of fire,<BR /> of this cauldron</p>
<p> I hid my face behind<BR /> the viewfinder of a nikon<BR /> people warned of splattering</p>
<p> i inched in backwards<BR /> i felt fingers on the backs:<BR /> my thighs, small of back</p>
<p> whirled around for the shot<BR /> a single shutter release<BR /> and then back</p>
<p> two pretty girls from the UK<BR /> stood a few feet away and I<BR /> became more daring for them</p>
<p> i was with my lover but two girls<BR /> from the UK -- i had to do it<BR /> to slip up the older man with them</p>
<p> the sun wavered then set<BR /> the red lava broke free<BR /> repeatedly and each time</p>
<p> elated gasp and then children<BR /> took rocks and stones and hurled<BR /> them into the fissures.</p>
<p> thunk and then nothing the<BR /> lava was not even close to<BR /> liquidity. Viscous Viscous Viscous</p>
<p> and then the fissure broke and fingers<BR /> flitters through bright neon red like<BR /> the sign for live nudes on bourbon</p>
<p> a little honey all that black<BR /> velvet and red neon, but<BR /> of itself: flamboyant extreme.</p>
<p> the hard crusty french bread<BR /> pahoe'hoe lava beneath our<BR /> feet hot like from an oven</p>
<p> a warning sign: the dangers of<BR /> sulphur -- the dangers of sudden<BR /> fissure, of death of maiming --</p>
<p> warnings to pregnant mothers<BR /> two british nannies i showed<BR /> off for and my girl and hot lava.</p>
<p> lava surfing consists of parking a car<BR /> walking 200 meters with a flashlight,<BR /> looking for a while as sluggish</p>
<p> viscous<BR /> viscous<BR /> viscous</p>
<p> hot hot hot hot lava lava lava<BR /> pahoe'hoe, a'a, pahoe'hoe, a'a<BR /> crunch brittle shell</p>
<p> and then its over and you can't find the<BR /> British nannies but you have your lover and<BR /> you share a torch (for each other)</p>
<p> get into the car and<BR /> drive off and then lie<BR /> as to how difficult it has been.</p>
<p></p>
<address> &#169;1995 Chris Abraham</address>
    ]]></summary>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>we ambled along the<BR /> crunchy surfaces<BR /> of the hard lava.</p>
<p> the sun was late<BR /> we help bags of cameras<BR /> and flashlights</p>
<p> sulphur and steam<BR /> scratched the vog hazy<BR /> sky like signals</p>
<p> ropes and cones<BR /> directed us to the<BR /> molten pourings</p>
<p> Mauna Loa, Kilauea,<BR /> vents, to the sea, more<BR /> mileage for the Island</p>
<p> we couldn't see the<BR /> soft stone from deep<BR /> below once magma</p>
<p> for the sea was far<BR /> and the foot holds were<BR /> perilous, the air cold</p>
<p> we wore hiking boots<BR /> we wore short pants<BR /> we wore t-shirts</p>
<p> we wore windbreakers<BR /> around out middles but<BR /> the head from the nearing</p>
<p> lava was like the sun mid<BR /> day on a windless deck<BR /> on a windless summer day</p>
<p> covered in asphalt<BR /> covered in asphalt<BR /> covered in asphalt</p>
<p> a mid summer say<BR /> windless and sunny<BR /> covered in asphalt</p>
<p> we had seen petroglyph<BR /> we had seen where women<BR /> offered umbilical cords</p>
<p> this place has mana from<BR /> pele, the goddess of fire,<BR /> of this cauldron</p>
<p> I hid my face behind<BR /> the viewfinder of a nikon<BR /> people warned of splattering</p>
<p> i inched in backwards<BR /> i felt fingers on the backs:<BR /> my thighs, small of back</p>
<p> whirled around for the shot<BR /> a single shutter release<BR /> and then back</p>
<p> two pretty girls from the UK<BR /> stood a few feet away and I<BR /> became more daring for them</p>
<p> i was with my lover but two girls<BR /> from the UK -- i had to do it<BR /> to slip up the older man with them</p>
<p> the sun wavered then set<BR /> the red lava broke free<BR /> repeatedly and each time</p>
<p> elated gasp and then children<BR /> took rocks and stones and hurled<BR /> them into the fissures.</p>
<p> thunk and then nothing the<BR /> lava was not even close to<BR /> liquidity. Viscous Viscous Viscous</p>
<p> and then the fissure broke and fingers<BR /> flitters through bright neon red like<BR /> the sign for live nudes on bourbon</p>
<p> a little honey all that black<BR /> velvet and red neon, but<BR /> of itself: flamboyant extreme.</p>
<p> the hard crusty french bread<BR /> pahoe'hoe lava beneath our<BR /> feet hot like from an oven</p>
<p> a warning sign: the dangers of<BR /> sulphur -- the dangers of sudden<BR /> fissure, of death of maiming --</p>
<p> warnings to pregnant mothers<BR /> two british nannies i showed<BR /> off for and my girl and hot lava.</p>
<p> lava surfing consists of parking a car<BR /> walking 200 meters with a flashlight,<BR /> looking for a while as sluggish</p>
<p> viscous<BR /> viscous<BR /> viscous</p>
<p> hot hot hot hot lava lava lava<BR /> pahoe'hoe, a'a, pahoe'hoe, a'a<BR /> crunch brittle shell</p>
<p> and then its over and you can't find the<BR /> British nannies but you have your lover and<BR /> you share a torch (for each other)</p>
<p> get into the car and<BR /> drive off and then lie<BR /> as to how difficult it has been.</p><br />
<address> &#169;1995 Chris Abraham</address>
    ]]></content>
  </entry>
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