..........................To the east now

....only the clouds
..are lit ......and the slopes
are black with shadow

.....................the thunderhead’s
.................................rust and flame
...dropping squalls of rain
.........................and sending shafts
..........................of dark lavender out over
.............................the desert into the heart
..............................of the Great Basin ...where
................night always
...falls first



these are
............the walkways
.................................that lead
.............into personal history
.................................that illuminate

....a child’s memory
of permanent west



--Avocet, 2007