Volcano Burning

Before the volcano awakened in 1995, Montserratians would have “brushed off any idea of Soufrière Hills erupting” (Song ‘Volcano Burning’ by Bernie Irish and the Alliougana singers). But the eruption that began on 18 July 1995 would change the perspective of Montserratians on their island forever…

Volcano Burning

‘Then I was walking home from work and smelling sulphur and listening with bewilderment at this humming sound coming from the mountain
A cracking sound: ba-dou bo-dou! The whole of town turned dark
Day turned into night
I had to run for my life

I was away in America when it all happened
But I had a great great scare
Soufriere Hills Volcano had us in this fear
But if only we could rewrite history we would pen a different story
Detailing life’s memories of pre-volcano Montserrat
Happy go lucky citizens easy and laid back
We would have brushed off any idea of Soufrière Hills erupting
No sir, the volcano dormant, you crazy?
Now we know that it was sleeping, not dead as we would have liked it to be
Soufrière Hills was only resting, sometimes snoring, sometimes rumbling,
Releasing sulphuric fumes into the air
All folks commenting sulphur want water
But in 1995 she wanted more
She exploded and opened her doors showering us with ash sending us into one mad dash’

– Extract from Song 'Volcano Burning' by Bernie Irish and the Alliougana singers

‘A tasty decoration
like a candle on a cake,
a technicolour postcard
of professional make,
or nature’s own networking
only beggarly describe
an egret’s stand-up stunt ride
on a willing cattle back
and ‘bull and bird in circus’ sounds
like a metaphor for clowns.
It was a moving picture
in the waning light,
a bid to steal the focus
from the spires of Soufriere
misting like a ganja sacrifice
and the smoking of a prayer.
Cattle back was a cultural centre
for the white egret, its verandah theatre
under the stars – spot to socialize
and be refreshed. When combing cattle
for tick, an hardly altruistic act,
this was the place to pause.
The sideshow was a peaceful contrast
while it lasted; not just white on red,
big bearing small, but an object lesson
in coexistence at the instep of a mountain
which holds a land in thrall.
Tonight chances pique still grows,
an unholy dome still glows,
but cattle low and egrets ride
in spite of fire from mountain tides.’

– 'Sideshow', poem by Sir Howard Fergus Extract from 'Volcano Verses' (Peepal Tree Press, 2003)

When the whole dome was glowing and on really still nights, when there was no wind, we had a vertical plume so you could just come to Salem and have a look at it, it looked like a lantern over there. So I spent quite a bit of time looking at the dome at nights.

– Montserrat Resident, 2019