------------------Permafrost
Above the Ranch At altitudes where breath begins to fizzle The stars have pitched their aviary over The sunset's distended arc, wide then flat. The northern lights aerosol the night with dazzle Not even adolescent dreams can match. There is nothing about today to discover. There is nothing peculiar about the herds: The elk, the lowing cattle, the cumulus sheep At work in fields dim-lit by porch light below; Nothing brings us delight, not what we heard About the spring's hasty thaw, not the rendered tallow, Not standing tip-toe, reaching, as if out of sleep, For the uncorked bottle of cider vinegar To flavor the trout with just enough bitterness. Pisces sparkles, the ages gain for us an evening As safe, dark tides wave us towards dangers The scale of oceans. We stand exposed and clinging To the mountain, uncertain it will not leave us.
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