I balance on the edge of these
2 continents: desire & detachment,
hot & cold a constant pulling away,
one from the other. In the center,
the smooth black sand that hides
the rupture beneath. Restless
separation trigger & release
to eruption of smoke & flame.
The cold sea resists the heat.
For 24 million years it may resist,
yet the heat persists, building up
its shelf of rock & ridge flow
of lava hardening to this aphanitic black,
or glass small length of land,
a sea on every side. The only place
where I can stand.