THE LOOMING
There is a special spot in Southern Colorado
where you can stand and look east forever,
west to a backdrop of towering peaks.
The sun rises early over the forever flatland
and sets abruptly as the mountains
reach up and grab, and off to bed, the sun.
The crashing white water of many small snow tears
become the calm muddy waters slowly off
to drain a nation’s middle.
To the west elk and bear,
to the east antelope and coyotes
I -25 a clean boundary.
To the west coal and timber
to the east wheat and cattle
down the middle the Old Santa Fe trail.
A July day warm sun is up early on the Sangre de Cristos
when the sun is hot and at its peak
a white cloud with anvil head rises in the west.
When the white anvil turns black,
bring in the wash
and finish the picnic lunch.
Slowly at first and then with a sudden
ominous flash of lightning the thunderhead
announces its arrival.
The heavenly waterfall
drips and then pours
and arroyos flood in a flash.
This image haunts my sleep
it is with me in waking daze
it has become a haunting metaphor.
For to the east the sunshine of my youth
the west blacking clouds of my afternoon
of slowly forgetting until my memory arroyos flood
Doug Minnis
October 23,2012