Another Sacred

There's more to it than that
to the river the trees a small
meander the water is sweet
how did we get this time
was it ever as important
looking backwards if only
Raymond Carver influencing
is this how the journey
they say inner landscape
geography to be discovered
is not out there back and forth
trucks vans the useless tarp

Secret

The tarp  

slid off 

the fig tree

last night's 

heavy frost

too late

to worry

now

frozen

filagree 

ignoring Sun 

later

so many

grassy jewels

blinking

tangling

Real Oregon

Exactly the same moment
extended idioms dripping
fog soaking olden day fence posts
branches brambly mossy ladders
everything decomposing part way
bricks of old town budge very little
addictions foremost enthusiasms
then dying little by little suddenly
the day is blank frozen moon
tiny night lights leaving shortly

Please

To own a washing machine is big
now everybody has all that he and Max
sleeping at night on the bench that was
after the war there was just nothing
and then he got a job at Nikolaus
designing packaging a large company
he took pictures for the calendars
he loved the out-of-doors he loved
after being a prisoner whatever was

Cheating what how free weights
of the truck gone from our boxes
stored on the reservation before
we got there then obviously opened
prints of the church things inside
probably someone from the mission
thought they looked good we leave
with nothing not one of those things

Recommendation

Helpful obstacle
so many reasons
out the window

until proven
double it no risk
for your very own

Sleeping Alongside

Woke up and there it was
the mountain stream which would become
one of the major rivers further rushing
flowers brush waving white frozen crags
woke again to the big cats near the overhang
mythology's face through the trees hung with snow
heat birthing inside my body somewhere in the middle
glimpsing deer traveling hardscrabble slopes
waking roundish bear loping along the flats
honey dripping under smoky eaves

Baby Orange

The size is tiny she loves
quite a few each one
different this thing falling
here not down here
He will want his own
choice or it will spoil
a moment of clarity
crumbs of stollen
tasty parts of the whole
Stollen is good you can tell
it only takes a half a cup
you do not believe me