Krakatoa Poem by Keith Dovoric

Krakatoa



Life is an uphill battle
No credit only blame
You play the cards they hand you
But there's no meaning to the game
The rock rolls down upon you
And you try and you try again
As you justify existence
To live in the world of men

Oh, Krakatoa
Raining down on me
Oh, Krakatoa

You size up situations
Dig your trenches and hunker in
Wear your machine gun bullet halo
As if you had a chance to win
But in the country of your spirit,
You're awaiting deportation
Still, your wet eyes greet the morning light
In stagnant celebration

The anvil of your calling
Keeps pressing for response
As the blacksmith strikes the molten mash
Amid your veil of sparks
And it seems like you've been bent this way
For a hundred-thousand years
With the peoples of antiquity
Who learned to explain their fears -

Oh, Krakatoa
Raining down on me
Oh, Krakatoa

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
The eruption of the Krakatoa volcano took place in 1883. It was so destructive that it obliterated the entire surrounding island and so loud that it could be heard halfway around the world. I made several attempts to write a story-song about the events themselves, trying to imagine what it would have been like from the perspective of a native or one of the island's inhabitants. Finally, I abandoned this and did something more universal, leaving the title and refrain as a sort of metaphor.
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