LEAVING BOZEMAN

We flew out over Red Lodge,
I recognized it from the air.
Glacier Peak, rimed in a cloud cap,
is lit by the rising moon.
The river, an ice lake, like purblind eyes.
the distant lights of Bozeman disappear.
Massive Yellowstone Lake, also frozen.
Another lake, huge mountains and deep snow.
As we approach Salt Lake, I can see ski runs.
Maybe it’s Idaho. I’m a astounded by the variations
in geography of the Rockies.
Long northeasterly ridges in the coal bearing regions.
Rock creek, visible from the air.
A granite peak, snow sculpted and feminine,
the orderly uplift near Yellowstone Park,
The toothed splay, the fractures and block faulting
giving way to the north south ranges.
It’s as if time itself is frozen.