earth note 792

early spring

early morning

rain

thinking that the skinny part

of idaho and leafy northeast

washington state

were coming back into focus again

just a day from glacier national park

where kayaks could still be launched

without a fee

a dozen years ago

and the waterfalls just over the state line

rushing toward your eardrums

& rain forest hooded ponchos

a couple of travelers in their cab-over

pickup who liked talking from their

pictured rocks michigan references

without a route planned

just winging it

toward the stony oregon coast

yes these were better days

--- e b bortz

earth note 791

you've heard it before

when you think you've hit

     pay dirt

and of course things

are just so much more complicated

     than that

you already know

life ain't no football game

and you're certainly no hero at halfback

or running back as they call them now

just gather up the loose change

change the motor oil

greasy hands have never been a problem

set the sights on that long continental divide

that's always been the real marker

and take an extra shovel or a winch

if you have one

for when you

hit the ditch

     inevitably

--- e b bortz 

earth note 790

a lone lost black angus

from an eagle's eye

from the top

of the mogollon mountains

southwestern new mexico

opening before sunset

opening to green vistas

opening from the bottoms

of pinyon canyons

opening to ritual

opening to spirit

long crying out     tears

     opening

--- e b bortz

earth note 789

i'm afraid to commit to anything

until sunrise

it's hard to see clearly at this point

the avenue might just disappear

let the deer lead the way

or the canine

there have been wild claims

that there's a rumbling from below

your feet might just start slipping

or your balance might go off

the planet tilt is only an approximation

right now we're captive to the darkness

under every bridge

a pile of blankets grow

river water washes over carbon legacy

barges push against the current

you've left me no option

but to answer in the negative

there is no certainty

no gambling

no safety net

no sanctuary

no promises

before sunrise

--- e b bortz

earth note 788

what felt like days of cold rain

suddenly turned outward

toward a strong morning sun

on the way to equinox

tho still with ice on the roof

there's bound to be broken hillsides

shoulders of appalachia

need endless times to heal

today is what it's worth

clouds go hiding

now take your shadow

to high noon

--- e b bortz

following star wars...minnesota to high desert arizona

ron gave his review of star wars

to the crew of electricians

in the switchgear room

he was the first in hibbing minnesota

to see it the night it premiered

out of the frozen tundra and into the sun

it's all about the technology he said

there's beauty in it

even if we can't see it yet

it definitely seemed like a new worldview

though i would hesitate to call it that

now

but for us

it was wanderlust

it did seem to be a catalyst

within a year we were packing it up

sears & roebuck canoe and all

heading to the high desert of arizona

there was a job and power plant awaiting

but the canoe is really a story in itself

along its most circuitous route

pittsburgh to minnesota to lake mary south of flagstaff

and further on to the susquehanna in upstate new york

on to salt lake city and then back to minnesota (again)

on to southern california and yes back to minnesota (again)

even back to the allegheny its final portage point

forgive me for missing a few stops in between

you just never know where the landings are

until you land on one

when both of those suns rise out of a darkened sky

remember what you're here for

and why

--- e b bortz

from the peak of the roof

sun throws down the perfect shadow

a crisp parallel

not something i ever noticed before

not something you would see

an hour from now

when the shadows shift

we're all celestial bodies

we all pass through the hour glass

--- e b bortz

earth note 787

the ground has refrozen

there's a new layer of ice crystals

climbing the trunk

veins of the maple have stalled

the sap waits

an indigenous song will begin

when the time is ripe

     given half a chance

--- e b bortz

earth note 786

the earth can only take on so much

busting its bowels

head first down the hollow

coal ash doesn't give a shit

who's in the way

there were groans and fractures

     long ignored

the riverbanks & bankers went about their

     business as usual

mouthpieces chattering

blame it all on the nearest moloch

you cup your hands and raise them

to drink from a broken cistern

roof runoff making new tracks

from a crumbling old world

all forgotten like original sin

a string of flashy pickup trucks

beating their way to a

wrong-way hov entrance

a cloud of diesel spills

like rush-hour on a

throwaway strip-mall

this may not make a difference

but i will do my best

to not leave on a downer

rub your hands in the loam

with every touch

there will be sprouts

nurture them all

as your offspring

you've read the tea leaves before

a calm will grow

like sun and moon

--- e b bortz