She had the gift of gabbro
Strong and black and bold
Her sister’s soul was granite
Each made their lavas flow.
Their hearts were forged of fire,
With layers deep and true,
A tapestry of ages,
In every rock they grew.
While mother set the table
And tended limestone beds,
They moved about all of the plates
And crafted brand new spreads.
Through tectonic tales and fault lines,
and glaciers icy tread,
They weaved Skye isle with skilled hands,
The sisters Black Cuillin and Red.
Each made their lavas flow.
Their hearts were forged of fire,
With layers deep and true,
A tapestry of ages,
In every rock they grew.
While mother set the table
And tended limestone beds,
They moved about all of the plates
And crafted brand new spreads.
Through tectonic tales and fault lines,
and glaciers icy tread,
They weaved Skye isle with skilled hands,
The sisters Black Cuillin and Red.
Inspired by viewing the amazing Black and Red Cuillin Mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. They are actually the remains of the solidified magma chambers that built the original volcanoes, and rose via uplift after their respective volcanoes eroded, then were sculpted by glaciers. The tough, black gabbro with pyroxene crystals erodes slowly and jaggedly, and went its mineral constituents were used up in the magma chamber, the Red Cuillin's were created with granitic constituents, casting their color and eroding more smoothly. I imagined them as trickster sisters in the poem, and the "plates" reference is to the movement of the tectonic plates (which they were not responsible for, but added just for fun).
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