Across the meadow flecks
of elk congregate into the dark.
Their hooves mark the soaked hillock
rimming the pond. A garter
snake zags, slivery as lightning.
Through scrub brush a shade ripples,
crosses ancient earth mounds
where, during the Bear Dance, sage sprigs
once topped every stone altar.
A meteor plunges fast
as the Great Horned Owl swerves
across rooftop at sun-fall.
Along the ridge a coyote yowls,
echoed by others from all corners.
The song chills the dead, wakes the living.