64° 58′ N, 21° 27′ W @ 14:00 & 20 y.o.
aska covered hills with hekla
bucket to the east
i prayed basaltic ash
clouds would cover the ever
summer sun. martian analog
i pace on moss that groans
shifts under hiking boots. i did
not want to leave the river,
meandering jarðhiti. swimsuit in
thirteenº c and hair wet with
sulfur-altered steam
i pushed my xenolith fingers into silt & hoped
the ground could collect me into igneous
rock and store me in the mud under
katabatic breeze and jökull.
Lizzie Pellegrino is a junior English (creative writing) and geological sciences double major, who cares far too much about walking through every puddle in her path. Her backpack, at any given time, likely contains at least two notebooks, three rocks, and a few bags of chamomile tea.