Rocky Mountain Runoff

Between pudding gray and barnyard brown, 
The water rolls smooth through evening 
Cool from its mountain source, 
Life force to the desert prairies.

Breezing from the Rockies, 
The summer winds stream 
Barley tufts and heading wheat into 
Fieldsful of shimmer, undulant ripples 
Ripening seaswells of motion.

Eastward patches of sugarbeets sprout 
Thick cauliflower leaves, rich green, 
Their heavy white roots fattening 
Towards harvest.

Clouds along the mountain rift 
Reveal a clear thin line of gold 
Silhouetting distant, hawk-sharp peaks 
Staged by the lingering chinook arch.

As sunset brightens, the chill of dusk 
Begins to settle like an unseen fog 
From the bare sky over fallow fields. 
Only a fluttering grasshopper breaks 
The easing fluidity of wind, 
The silent flow of darkening water, 
The long-dying sun’s luxurious descent.