Woman of Mountain Flowers

Wind blows down from the west

and smells like rain

in their rugged mountains.

Big Canada geese strong on the wing

call against the wind.

Northering snow geese

high against storm clouds

sing wild melodies to a dark sky.

The man of mountains walks close

beside the woman of mountain flowers.

Sagebrush and mountain streams.

Ponderosa pine trees. Juniper trees.

Lodgepole pines.

Steep slope of the ridge

levels to grasses and flowers

of mountain meadow.

Woman and Man.

They smell like clouds, like thunder,

like sage and mountain flowers in wind

She sings to him in a voice of mountain wind,

"Rain walks down the mountain, delicately touches

a thousand colors of flowers,

carries odors of flowers, of washed mountains,

of brush, of animals startled by newness.

Wind sings to its mother.

Wind sings to its father."

Wind rattles the shutters and shakes their house.

Rain rides the wind and drums against their windows.

Woman of Mountain Flowers,

Man of Mountains

turn to each other under mountain wind.

Hold me close.

Hold me close in fierce mountain storm.