Shoreline sounds:
ice
breaking, crashing, splashing
penguins
squawking,
and the ghostly songs of whales.

***

Inland
there is
only
the ice,
groan-like sounds
as slowly
it shifts, buckling
against itself.
Fissures
open
and the dark of these chasms
dots the snow.

***

Below
volcanoes erupt
lava hisses and steams.
Above
snow clouds and storms.

***

And when the wind whining stops
and the volcanoes are still
not even
penguin squawks or whale songs
break
the quiet.

***

The whole universe
seems
cold
soundless
as it was
eons
ago
and
will
be
again.

***

About the Author:

Richard was a Finalist in The 2004 Center for Book Arts Chapbook Competition.
He is published in many web and print journals, such as Oregon East Southern Humanities Review, Touchstone, Windsor Review, Maverick, Parnassus Literary Review, Small Pond, Kansas Quarterly, Blue Unicorn, Exquisite Corpse, Terrain and many others. His interests extend into digital photography and he has published many of his photos.