And when my winds bellow and howl,
And when my flora flower, and disperse their spores,
And the fauna perform elaborate dances and rituals
And feast on dropped fruits and debris.
When I force exodus, and I’m left swaying,
I complete my long shifting asynchronous routine.
They return to my curves and peaks
And I begin it all again.
Stewing in my deep pot of rocks and water
I birth unfathomable creatures.
They intermingle and entwine with the strangest of places
They find across my body, with those that came before them,
If only for a second. Before my deafening
Crunch and rumble and fiery spit and after
The pleasant harmony of all who lived on me.
I have sung and my mountains have danced.
Ethan Clark
Ethan Clark comes from a small town in Wales and is now a third year creative writing student. This piece is in direct response to the book When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà, a book read for module reading. Its anthropomorphic take on different aspects of the world inspired his voice in this piece.