Across the Divide

windows wide open

the evening air is warm and still
a little hazy
on the other side of those shaded hills
there’s a lodge tonight

would’ve done me some good
but it’s late for thinking of it

that towhee just keeps singing
the same words
clear from atop the power pole
he won’t stop

the crickets join him

and a long-eared rabbit
is all stretched out on the warm earth
her nose almost touching
the quail block

the smoke will rise
straight up tonight
the haze will thicken a bit
but takes a long, long time to mix

it’s a night for slow prayers