Rocky Ground

The ground had rumbled for quite some time

It was only a minor quake,

The people grumbled, it came and went

But it kept them all awake,

‘They say there was a volcano here

A billion years ago,

But it’s long since dead, the geologists said,

And there’ll be no lava flow.’

 

They’d built the suburb on rising ground,

And roads, right up to the peak,

The ground was rocky and unforgiving

The soil was grey and weak,

So little grew on that rising crest

Just the odd saltbush or so,

They couldn’t drill through the rock beneath

To help their bushes grow.

 

I would venture out and would take the air

When the house cooled down at night,

But always felt there was something there

That would make me feel uptight,

I felt the rumble, under my feet

It was like a muffled roar,

And I thought a whimsical thought one night,

It was like an old man’s snore.

 

One night I wandered up to the crest

And I saw two bushes move,

They seemed to tremble and flutter there

Just above a ball shaped groove,

The rumble stopped as I stood and watched

From under the starlit skies,

The bushes opened to crystal orbs,

Just like a pair of eyes.

 

They fixed me there in their crystal stare

And I didn’t dare to breathe,

The summit started to shake and move,

And then it began to heave,

The houses built on the crest fell down

It was like a huge hiccup,

And I fell tumbling to the ground

As the Mountain God stood up!

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Claire in VA]

Just yesterday we had an earthquake in California,
perhaps as you were writing this. How coincidental!
This is very well-written, as all of your poetry is.
I see no errors. :) I love the idea of the mystery
under the rock. I will think of this piece the next
time I feel a tremor.
Claire

[TPK Stories]

Another good story, David.

[Priyankaabhilaashi]

Hats Off, Sir.. You wrote the Poetry in a manner the Crest stays above all..!!!

[Valentine]

The Mountain God.......what a thought. In Arkansas we had many a rumble, not to be taken lightly. I always thought it was the devil/......he-he..Nice one..Kathie

[SonOfPlunder]

Just spent the last 15 minutes reading your work and i have to say this is my favourite of your poems! Really enjoyable!

[Marie]

I love that last line. Maybe a volcano is never really dead...

[Ahena MK]

One of the most wonderful poems by you ... Really enjoyable !!!