White Island Volcanic. Poem by Michael Walker

Sailing in the 'Endeavour', Captain Cook
named White Island in the Bay of Plenty,
'because that is how it appeared to us'.
Cook noted prophetically 'The island blew steam
from its active volcano',
and larva killed ten miners
in the crater years later.

Sailing in 'Ovation of the Seas'
some tourists went ashore
even walking inside the crater.
Seconds later the volcano erupted,
taking at least sixteen lives
and injuring others with shock.
The survivors are fighting
for their lives in a burns unit.


I know the victims by their photos:
They were caught by a freak of timing
to be on thethe island eruption.
Should the 'Ovation of the Seas'
have given the island a wide berth
as James Cook did in 1769?





- 16/17 December 2019.