Mountain Sleep

Mountain Sleep Mountain sleeps once upon a lake Yellow bird skims the surface of liquid blue Draws in an insect on the slender beak A subtle noise discerned as it gathers up the bug Disturbances below are heard, a lifted fin, a splash In nervous motion the trout moves back below Cheated by the bird who stole his living meal Above the lake, below the gaze of mountain Snow melts, rain rides the spine and washes down To purify the path Make the past and present one and the same Gliding between here and now Mountain looks for a cover But only finds the white of ice Trees are used as toothpicks upon the ponderings Lake is gargled with the blue and brine as mountain thinks Wakes, meditates. It rises on green grass Mirrored at the water’s edge Pretends to see right through it Then turns with each hour of the sun Bakes with the red birds spinning like rotisseries Mighty wings lift and swoop on clouds Rivers rush with them to some lost town Forsaking summer in a rush of churning waves Joined by colored feathers keeping tempo Mountains are too heavy to go with them They are only rocks and rocks don’t run or fly They only fall and roll with wisdom into winter Tectonic movements take them slow along the land Steeped in snow that covers everything with solace On the giant slopes pulled over like a blanket The mountain, brought to its knees, to sleep