You find them deep
encircled by red earth
not noticing at first
the white wisps
of smoke rising
from fissures fine
as capillaries, the air
permeated
with sulfur’s rotten-
egg smell as you reach
the ridge and creep
fearfully toward
the edge
of the volcano.
You look down
down
into mesmerizing
jade waters
their jeweled
smoothness
a basin of
terrifying beauty
that woos
a deep longing in you
to dive into
the fathomless.

Sandi Stromberg lives in Houston, Texas, after a nomadic life in five countries. Singaporean musician, Andrew Ng Ting Shan, recently set her poem “The Art Asylum” to music for the Chinese erhu. She has been nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize, twice for Best of the Net, and had her poetry collection Frogs Don’t Sing Red released by Kelsay Books (2023).