Rooted to outcrop
of volcanic
rock, penstemon,
saskatoon, stone
crop, ocean spray,
upstarts anchored
to accident
of dirt where seeds
scattered then buried,
but now bed down,
while beneath ragged
garden, cascade
of faith pummels
the slate decades
ago, spring
flood, then mud-slide
drowned canyon walls,
covered the dining
hall, burying
the far-flung bridge
to the scout’s camp
beneath a cabin
a limestone grave
quickens the heart
the kitchen clatter
red-winged blackbirds
the flux from glacier
lakes emptying
deliver now
what’s not to name
and strands of cotton
skitter in air