Sun on the rock face
sailing over pine-oak slopes; Arizona
Madrone in the space between ponds where
Leopard frogs sit half
in water, half
on stone,
and higher than the apple trees
the first leaves
shading yellow
into the lazy sky. A lizard holding
on to rock absorbs
the warm light of the day. A borderland
mountain stands alone in Mexico
and word has passed
through woodland
that a party has crossed over
and is lost
in the land of plenty with no
water. October’s light is dry, the paths
from here to there lead
nowhere and it was
a long way through the night.
This is,
on such a fine afternoon with the foliage
shining from within, pumpkins
swelling on the property
and a vista from the high trail
of light without boundaries,
a beautiful time to give up, drink down
the moment, tell the children
their parents tried
but America is as thirsty
as it is rich.
.
David Chorlton