BECAUSE OF MOUNT ST. HELENS Stacey A. Leybas When the volcano erupted We watched the mountain crumble. Stay inside, they told us. You are safer there. We listened and stayed. The streets emptied. Schools and shops locked their doors. Do not come, they told us. We spent a hundred thousand heartbeats waiting. Fear and the stories we heard kept us inside. When we dared emerge with timid steps the air was thick with toxins. Wear a mask, they told us. You are safer that way. We listened and masked. We spent a million heartbeats behind layers of fabric sheltering our lungs, muling our voices.
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