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.