A volcano in a reed

Immense unpredictable force within a slim, fragile weed.

A slender lithe stick

perfected for precision

encases earth shattering,

ash spewing,

world-making god.

Burning hot lava

flows free creativity

in delicate wooden fibres

grown year by year.

Fireworks flash, a barrage

of searing unformed stone

shaped and contained

and then precision dosed.

Does the fire not reduce the reed to ash?

Does the reed not choke the fire to ash?

Neither wins, neither loses:

the tussle tripples on,

making worlds, shifting landscape

blows traded, barely contained.

The magma beneath,

like the sap of the tree,

waiting then shooting forth

islands and buds.