The ground reverberates; the earth like the skin
of a drum beaten
by a child--capricious
The pumice stone falls steadily; the rocks like gifts
from Persaeus, his gifts
of destruction--cataclysmic
The child wakes; the sky, inky like the indigo   
of the mosaic tiles
  that her feet scramble over--perilous
The mountain pulses; the hunger for souls like the hunger
of a pauper,
  continuously searching for fulfillment--gluttonous
The dog follows her; the girl’s footprints in the ash like a path
of exodus,
  a map for the Kane--expeditious
The girl runs now; the ash clouds her vision like a blindfold
over her eyes,
  oblivious to the death around her--fortuitous
The ash coats her lungs; the girl is gasping, like she is
  drowning on the streets of home,
fighting for her life--inauspicious
The girl flails; the ash on the ground sticking to her sweat-slicked body, like the scales
that cover the fish in the bay.
  Her sheen is muted--submissive
The tears roll; the child is ready for Viduus to separate her soul and body, like a philosopher she
is no longer scared to die.
  Prayers grace her lips--halcyon
The body rests; finally at peace, her arms wrap her knees to her chest like a child.
The ash, now a blanket, covers her.
  A final goodnight, she’s asleep at last--harmonious