au revoir

   first rains of autumn
whisper of summers passing
   -soft tears of farewell

Whoopup Crik

You might think laughter spilled and tumbled along its riffles and rocky banks: the product of an old coarse and crusty joke perhaps. It’s telling done with such vigor some poor unsuspecting soul suddenly burst aloud with guffaws and wrung these very waters from the rocks. 

But it’s no ordinary creek or niche, it looks as if a long-gone giant cut himself the largest wedge of sandstone cake and left the wetted cleft behind.  What founted spring slakes these babbled rocks? I only know that water's flow no matter how divined, and are most welcome on this parched Montana plain.

Come branding time on the open range with no fences and no pens, the creek will cradle the spring’s crop of wandering stock at their fated destination. Ranch men whoop and holler, hat-slapping thighs chase bawling calves to the funneled crotch, to wait wild-eyed yet unmarked. 

Their pyres made: the ritual began for hands and countless calves alike. They together smell the pungent reek of burning hair and hear the sear of the hot iron's brand. One by one released then quenched by the water on their exodus from Whoopup Crik

A Vision

This wayward world of ours

is not finished changing yet if we aren’t.

A deadened view of right and wrong numbs our

vision of many others and our own humanity. Most of all

that the world offers to us has been decided on by the very few.

I wonder what we could make if we started over with those of us who

have not fear nor wager on the outcome? If we could be freed

from the burden of biased history and so could take our

time to remake the world a peaceful, better place?

To strive with united loving hearts, this

time for all the human race.

Cedar

     fragrant cedar wood
 sweet and oily from the axe
    -dusty spice aflame

Noon in Bozeman

  eating lunch today
white sleet sprinkled on us
  -then melts in the sun

The View from 5B

3A and 4B are swappin' stories about Alaska and Montana and the regions and towns
and products that they sold  there and the issues they had
and the fella's that they knew so very long ago.

These new guys now, they don't want to put the time in and
they don't know the people and they don't know the territory

You gotta work the territory,
You gotta know the territory if you want to get ahead!

And the blades start a turnin' and the engines cough to life
and here we go again. Yes the turbines kick them faster
and we buckle up our belts cause Portland's getting closer
to our tired droopy faces and our small cups of beer.

Our shirts and skirts and our food show pants, reek of
over cooked bacon and burgers and of country style fries
with our trade show feet we keep shufflin' down the aisle
wishing that we were younger and shorter and lighter than we are.

 We are all in our seats and buckled low and tight
the cups recycled and the tables are stowed for the final approach
soon we're back on the ground and choosing new seats
on this funny carrousel , oh  the ride never ends.

Grizzly Lox

  mighty itswoot dines 
on royal scarlet fishes
  -berries for dessert



(itswoot- Chinnook word for grizzly bear) 

North Fork Crazy Woman

On my way to Casper she crawled out from under the bridge
waving her green North Fork Crazy Woman sign at me
It didn't really say,"creek", but it had to be one, right?

All these forked-women crazy you think?

Could have been a girl, not even a woman for all I know.
After she went good or bad crazy, dressing crazy
or maybe just sounding that way, she wound up here.

Surely the men judged her crazy, the women folk
would have called her something else.

She'll always live on in these parts,
they never kill her kind.

RHINO

 

5.2013 REWORK:

You were on the morning plane and now

here too. In your tall jeans mostly walking

with swaying hips that still have not quite

forgotten his gait.

Our dreadlocked and tatted barkeep’s been divined

here just for these Missoula clans. Full of loud

bragging to Tall-Jeans and the rest of us of how

she surprises her home-diners and more genteel

over-night guests with the use of her pistols.

Her boots scuff from behind the bar in 4-day wrinkled

jeans. Pulling pints and chatting me up as if I

regularly squatted here just to watch her weave

Bloody Mary whirligigs for those with higher expectations.

My calendar returns me to the Rhino and Calamity Jane; still

throwing words and beer around just as Jeans and some

guy dismount their stools and glide away. Jane keeps

up the pace for me and a few grizzled drinkers

staring at the bar taps, frozen by their own personal Medusa.

A caterpillar’s lush life in the Rhino’s wooden

cocoon, where everyone waits on change

of some kind in

Big Sky Country.

   Original

You were on the plane and now here too tall
and mostly walking in your jeans with hips
that are still not done with him yet.

a dred-locked and tatted barkeep has been divined
here to the clans here in Missoula loud bragging to
tall Jeans and her friend how she surprises future
diners and genteel over-night guests with her guns.

Boots scuffing behind the bar in 4 day wrinkled jeans she pulls pints
and weaves Bloody Mary whirly-gigs for those with
higher expectations. She chats me as if I regularly sat here.

Me and November found Calamity Jane still throwing
words and beer at jeans and maybe the same guy
atop their stools performing for a few grizzled drinkers
staring at the bar taps frozen by their personal Medusa.

Caterpillar lush-life in the Rhino cocoon
as everyone waits on change of some kind
in Big Sky Country



12.24.2011

LIVINGSTON MT.

  whited pond-
geese waddle on your
  marbled water

12.1.2011