Poem: A Volcano Can Never Be A Meadow

Photo: Detail from a painting on a school wall in the West End of Vancouver.
"Next time people try
to convert me
to their recipe for life...
because I make the mistake
of asking them
to lend me their ears
for a minute
and not their quick mouths...
I will tell them...
some people are like meadows...
some are like volcanoes...
venting from time to time...
but it is foolish
for a meadow...
to tell a volcano...
to calm down...
be like a meadow...
all short grass and dandelions...
A volcano can never be a meadow...
and a meadow...
can never be a volcano..........."