Irrigating Wild Mountain Meadow
April, May
Snow melt roils rapid white down the rugged mountain.
The big ditch separates water from the slowing river.
Water from creeks and springs flows into mountain meadow irrigation,
slakes a thousand acres of wild meadow grasses,
mountain bluebirds, alder and willow bush, mallard ducks, aspen trees, blue camas, ruddy ducks, tall buttercups, elephant head flowers, Canada geese, coyote, spiders, dragonflies, wapiti.
Voles eat grass and feed hawks, ravens, and snakes. Snakes feed sandhill cranes, and owls.
Great horned owls call across the meadows and feed my dreams in moonlight and starlight.
Great blue herons nest in dead lodgepole pine trees at the edge of the meadow
and fly to the river for fish. Water overflows the meadow back into The North Fork of the Burnt River, Camp Creek, Trout Creek, and Dry Creek.
Meadowlarks sing golden tones to brilliant sunshine reflects from water.
I wander, rubber booted, sharp shoveled,
cut rich, dark soil and place it to turn water to drier meadow.
I block culverts in ditches and eager water finds other ditches.
White whistling swans, melodious white and black snow geese.
Red-winged blackbird eggs, blue with brown spots, in nests woven to growing grasses,
water sings past, and nighthawk nests, scrapes in dry gravel with speckled eggs.
June
John and Mike drive a white pickup ahead of a cloud of dust up the river road
to see how I’m doing with irrigation and fences.
I lean against the pickup, lazily fluid in hot sunshine and say,
“I’m doing really fine.”
They think I work for them, growing hay and graze for cattle and keeping the ranch in shape.
I accept their monthly check with gratitude.
We will cut, bale, and haul hay
hot hay dust itches in sweat
The wild species accept the water I spread across the meadow for them,
accept life growing on the mountain,
show gratitude for life in colors, in wild song,
in affluent proliferation of life on rugged mountains and verdant meadows.