Canyon Notes

towards a typology of light

    red river run
    up valley's green morning—
    canyon wren song

time bottles in cones
of light coruscating down
sandstone walls at dawn

    green light in blue
    valleys hanging high above—
    Yosemite dawn

column reach into sunlight
unnamed shades a million rusts
unexplained blue of sky
impossible silver-green of
canyonlight reflecting on the river's riffles
in shaded pools, canyon walls
blasting gold light down to reflect
on the water's silver

black masks of low overhanging cottonwood boughs
cut-outs against blue silver light
impossible aspen alight with soul's fire

speculation of wrens in branchends of fir
convocation of stars sounding black sleep
intervals of silencing run of whitewater over stone
intrusive air in slot canyon molded solid burn
gold to orange to rust to red to tan to brown to darkened

edge of cloud slice this mountainheart open to reveal canyon
a sliver of light intrudes into belly of stone
outreached peninsula turtle back of stripped sandstone

    brightsun the green river
    valley waves of stone and flow—
    Utah late summer skyblast