Berries in Winter

Berries in Winter

there is nothing more

red than the color of hawthorn berries 

in winter

berries the size
of bird's eggs against the grey
of last year's grasses and the pale green
of winter sprouts

herring-bone pattern of pines
on steep hillsides
softwoods crocheted on the north slopes

the top of the ridge snakes in and out 

of the barbed wire stretched 

along its surface like strings 

on the neck of a fiddle

the trees on the top of the ridge 

are like a fine Chinese comb 

grooming the fleece of clouds

we live on the western slope 

on the eastern side 

of this mountain.

1979

added 2/2017