Lava flows - pahoehoe and a'a: Cruising on a Sea of Words series

My fascination with volcanic activity and lava flows began decades ago, shortly after I moved to Hawaiʻi in the late 90’s. The names distinguishing the different types of flows especially captured my interest, the pronunciations always generating a smile. 

When lava flows out from a volcanic eruption in smooth or ropy-textured trails, the flow is called pahoehoe. The rugged, faster-moving and higher temperature flows that can cut right through your rubber slippahs are called a’a lava - the word also sounding like a warning: “a’a, no can step there!” 

I’ve walked on pahoehoe lava still warm to the touch, but in an abundance of caution always avoided the jagged points of the a’a flows.  

Surveying the ancient lava at Ka'ena Point on O'ahu
(check out the CAUTION stenciled into the lava off to my left)

An excerpt of a calming moment from Island Cruise Homicide: 

Beyond the final stretch of sand jutted a blanket of lava. Waves rippled onto blackened rock, molten flows hardened to pahoehoe smoothness in some areas and sharp-edged a’a in others. The boys claimed a spot between the man and the water’s edge. We approached at a more cautious gait, Rick taking a slight lead. 

A mild trade wind ruffled the surfer’s hair and tips of graying strands brushed his shoulders. As we neared, he stiffened slightly. Rick reached out his arm to stop me about ten feet from the group. With rapt attention, the boys continued to watch the man, their backs to the rhythmic lapping of ocean waves. Chirping birds aligned atop sun-heated boulders fell quiet. The wind ceased. Silence echoed across the fresh air of eternity Nate had mentioned earlier.

You can find Island Cruise Homicide and all the Pepper Bibeau mysteries in print or ebook format today at: Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2JuYg20 

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G is for GREEK DOLMADES (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES) #AtoZChallenge

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

My daily #AtoZ posts combine two concepts in under-300-words per day:

an appealing food choice along with thoughts that spring to mind.

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As you've probably already guessed, I'm not much of a cook these days. Cracking open a container of yogurt or peeling back the lid of a can counts as preparing a meal for me. So when I'm in the mood for something complicated, like stuffed grape leaves, I gravitate to the grocery story salad bar. It's really not the dolmades that I crave, but the lemon sauce that contributes such flavor to the meatless variety. While egg lemon sauce (Avgolemono) goes best with the meat-stuffed rolls, a squeeze of lemon juice and a dollop of creamy yogurt works wonders to liven up the others.

Though I've never been to Greece, it has been a daydream of mine to jet off to the islands of Mykonos, Rhodes, and beautiful Santorini with its original whitewashed buildings of lava rock dotting the hillsides. Or, at least, to write a story set on a red sand beach. The volcanic activity that shaped the island, however, shares similar birth pains with the island where I reside. Possessing no great urge to travel such a distance, it pleases me to have that thread of commonality between Santorini and O'ahu.

That, and a shared love of dolmades.

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COLLABORATION Poem 66 and REBELLION Poem 67

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,
often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.
 

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

66

Co-Existing

 

 

 

I see how coral thrives along the

jagged coastline.

How geckos live and play

among the plants.

Silverswords disguise the

peaceful Nene,

on the slopes of dormant

volcanic rock.

Night marchers travel through

the steaming mist

on lonely roads lit by

a silver moon. 

A surfer’s board on water

Orchids blooming in sweet air

Pineapple roots in soil. 

Collaboration

is what I see.

 

So much of life in its natural state knows to cooperate with its surroundings to survive in comfort. Humans, superior in their reasoning, are unable to fully grasp this concept, instead always striving for more of their allotted share. Would mimicking the practice of coexistence demonstrated by nature offer a more collaborative existence for men?

 

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67

What You See

Riots

Society on the edge

Politics, redefining lives 

Anger

Men engaged in war

Family structure, realigned 

Rebellion

Control in flux

Freedom, the goal 

Question not

what you see, but

the lack of change 

Change may not be an acceptable long-term solution. Then society might consider the simplicity of recognizing that whatever we have to share can be used as a catalyst toward equality. The result, an end to riots, anger, and rebellion, leads to satisfaction.

 

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