Tears run in rivulets between the ashen layers – they carve their own landscape in the hardening cushion of falling powder. Fathers, mothers, small children, they reach for one another; some huddle close with barely a moment to spare, others remain a hands-width apart – all held fast in anguish as death sets upon them. This thriving valley swiftly transforms into a diorama of human terror and suffering.
Many years go by, a window into the past is unearthed; horrors the likes of which mankind has never seen before are revealed. A visage of haunting forms preserved in their final moments of agony – life pocketed in a cocoon of time; tragedy locked in the layers of its vice-like grip. Coincidence that this stroke of Mother Nature’s brush was encapsulated with such precision, or warning that another is coming?
© Copyright 2014 Nina D’Arcangela. All Rights Reserved.
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Nina D'Arcangela
Sotet Angyal 
April 21st, 2014 at 1:14 pm
horrific write 😀
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April 28th, 2014 at 7:57 pm
A horrific scene simply reworded. I love reinterpreting events of the past. Thank you, Sue 🙂
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April 21st, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Your words bring vivid images of Pompeii to mind…and what may happen again in other parts of the world…I wonder how many people realize the dangers of Yellow Stone Park?
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April 28th, 2014 at 8:03 pm
Thank you very much! Pompeii (unfortunately) isn’t a hard visual to draw upon. Like so many other places, Yellow Stone Park is a potential ELE waiting to happen; or is it already part of a greater plan? Who knows.
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April 21st, 2014 at 7:59 pm
I love the subtle homage to Pompeii – beautiful!
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April 28th, 2014 at 8:08 pm
Thank you, Julie! As awful as it may sound, I’ve always been drawn to the sublime beauty of Pompeii. There is something that draws me to places that preserve (and in my mind, honor) death with quiet grace – though I do recognize that the people of Pompeii died an absolutely horrifying death. I hope I was able to convey that through my words.
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April 24th, 2014 at 10:00 am
I don’t need to see pictures of the destruction Pompeii wrought – this brilliant post painted all the imagery I need in my mind. Outstanding, Nina!! (as well a reminder that we are all ultimately at Mother Nature’s mercy)
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April 28th, 2014 at 8:30 pm
Thank you, Joe! That is a very true statement – but there for the grace of Mother Nature, so say I. The destruction of Pompeii was a horrific event that left what would have been an indelible mark of humanity on this earth – should the planet itself outlive us, which I wholeheartedly believe it will. The dichotomy of it is that if it had never been unearthed, we’d never know of its preserved beauty (honor) in death, while at the same time, our being granted the opportunity to view it is what will eventually destroy it through erosion and simple human nature. Thus the eradication of the indelible mark. A very profound sadness in that; beyond the tragedy itself lies yet another tragic event in its future – its loss.
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