XX. AA
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Geryon fell asleep seven or eight times on the way to the volcano.
The other two were talking about feminism then life in Hades then unstable bitumen
or was that from Britannica? All
the sentences mixed around in Geryon’s drifting drowsing head men
had to be taught
to hate women for foot massage pumice and ballast on railroad sure
they know how eruption
takes place his little elementary courtesies darting out like a tongue but
how can I talk
to people who don’t know the European experience—now
jolted awake Geryon
glanced out. The world had gone black and bulbous. Shiny ropes of old lava
rose and fell in every direction
around the car which had come to a halt. Most volcanic rock is basalt.
If it is dark and blocky that means
very little silica in the composition (so the Encyclopaedia Britannica).
Very little silica in the composition,
said Geryon as he climbed out. Then the rock silenced him.
It pitched away on all sides
utterly blank except for one crazed blackish unit of intraplate light
bouncing from rock to rock
as if looking for lost kin. Geryon put his foot out to take a step.
The lava emitted
a glassy squeak and he jumped. Careful, said Herakles’ grandmother.
Herakles had lifted her out of the back seat,
now she stood leaning on his arm. The lava dome here is more than ninety percent
glass—rhyolite obsidian they call it. I find
it very beautiful. Has a kind of pulse as you look at it. She began to move
forward with a tinkling sound
over the black billows. They say the reason for all these blocks and rubble on top
is strains produced when the glass
chills so rapidly. She made a little sound. Reminds me of my marriage. She
stumbled then and Geryon
caught her other arm, it was like a handful of autumn. He felt huge and wrong.
When is it polite to let go someone’s arm
after you grab it?
Just for an instant balancing on the vitreous surface he went to sleep and awoke
still gripping her arm, Herakles was saying
… in crossword puzzles. It’s the word for blocky lava in Hawaiian.
How do you spell it?
Just like it sounds—aa. Geryon dozed off, awoke again, they were in the car
already driving away
from the terrible rocks. Up front Herakles and his grandmother had begun
“Joy to the World” in harmony.