Take Me to the Volcano
Collage by Irie Wata
In June we went to Hawaii, the Big Island specifically. Once again, my fascination with volcanoes stirred. WE WERE ON A VOLCANO. Not even one, but multiple ones, jutted up against each other making an island puzzle. In Volcano National Park I witnessed a live volcano with its pocket of steam reminding us that nothing is as docile as it appears.
This was not the first time I was near an active volcano. A few years ago, I stayed at the base of Arenal in Costa Rica. There was a faint puff of smoke letting you know things were cooking. Also, WE WERE ON A VOLCANO.
Whether near or far volcanoes make me giddy. Why is that, though? What is the appeal to both young and old?
They are positively prehistoric. I have early memories of them in dinosaur picture books, looming in the background, upstaging giant reptiles. Volcanoes have presence and longevity — mythical in spirit and power in their permanence.
They are equal parts peril and rebirth, leaving scorched earth, taking away and reshaping. In school, we learned about Pompeii, a preserved tragedy and a morbid reminder of a volcano’s power as it left townspeople encased in ash waiting to be discovered hundreds of years later. More recently, in the 80s, Mt. Saint Helens devastated the northwest, capturing the attention of the country with stories of quick getaways and those left behind. Today in Hawaii, fields of lava flow change the literal size and composition of the island, and underwater volcanos build new islands.
They are iconic. From their conical shape to their glowing red flows, you know what you’re looking at when you see it. Their insides inspire the “Floor is Lava” children’s game; ANYTHING can be lava. This premise even extends to a whole Netflix show (higher production quality than my living room). Bond films, also iconic, had a villain headquartered in a volcano. Nothing could be cooler. And volcanos are full-fledged stars of the show in other cinematic fare. Even if the premise is recycled, they make for a reliable action-packed setting, in countless terrible disaster movies that we continue to have an appetite for.
KICKIN’ OFF SOME HEAT:
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Um, sure. Maybe?
Duh, I like everything this guy makes and this is no exception
