nourishing terrains has captured my imagination
and i parallel it with braiding sweetgrass
and i unearthed this book while packing and prepping.
i imagine there may still be places where you can see paintings
that look to me like dreamings
having grown up near the great lakes
instead of my family's west virginia mountains
i feel a connection
ochre.
and now i remember climbing around in the red shale
of the niagara river gorge.
there's even a checkerboard
and a map
oh, love this one rich with imagery
and yet these are drawings of originals
i'm getting tidy here
almost
really
outside robin takes advantage
of a big driveway puddle
and this, this is a photo
of the rock surface
taken 60 years ago
how lichen is changing the dream.
this dream
my boat here is a pasture.
where grows poor (wo)man's asparagus
that i didn't harvest
because it's needed by other ones soon.
and on my morning walk i passed three
barefoot amish boys
stairstep sized, on their way
perhaps
to sunday church.
my church will be instead
the songbirds
finishing the packing
thinking of the words and love of friends
and family and my love,
as i prepare to rise tomorrow morning
at three or so
to meet the plane in ottawa
for victoria.
