Rio Grande Rift

Deep, earth-splitting seam
serpentine, liquid strip of green
parting rock-solid, lava-laid cliffs

titanic, thunderous roar
from sudden crustal buckling
catching its prairie surface unawares.

Atomic Building Blocks

Fissionable bits and pieces
exploded as in the Big Bang

seeds for audacious uses
activated by human brains

star-making stuff ready for fusion
scattered through cosmic vastness

creation and destruction
as relentless opportunists.