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« LISTENING FOR EFFIE HILLIARD | Main | Ridenhour Creek »

DOWN RIDENHOUR CANYON

Steep south slope of clay and shale
riffled with poppies of paler gold,
short-stemmed families seeded
in the hard ground for dry years,

another bunch branded behind us –
goosenecks trailing dust downcanyon
to the creek road home. Short spring
and we agree that March still can

do anything. Earl recalls snow bridges
at Simpson on the Kings in August,
frozen avalanches undermined
they had to dynamite to cross –

watched a pack mule disappear
up an icy cavern – could only wait
‘til he came back. Spooked them all
after the wet March snows in 1958.

Posted by John Dofflemyer on March 11, 2007 8:29 AM |

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