Volcano

The poems in Volcano work together to tell a story. For his whole life Fs unnamed lover has had a volcano growing inside him fueled by experiences such as interactions with an abusive father and repressed queerness. As his relationship with F sours the volcano continues to grow and eventually manifests as a physical reality. Fearing the consequences of the now-real volcano he sacrifices F to it believing he has solved both problems at once. However F returns in ghost form and takes control of the volcano. Assisted by an army of shape-shifting spirits she pursues the man around their island home until eventually he must face her. Though she is not given a voice in the text Volcano is Fs story conveyed and mediated through the eyes of the male character (and a chorus of divorced birds who comment upon the action). Set simultaneously in ancient Greece contemporary Hawaii and the British isles at all points in time Volcano is a reply to dominant narratives of relationships and gender in the traditional literary canon.