Poems by Pepper Trail
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Last Night’s Snow
by Pepper Trail
Pepper lives in the eastern foothills of Oregon's ancient Siskiyou Mountains, near their complex entanglement with the youthful, volcanic Cascades. He loves both mountain ranges equally.
A thin fall, fine as sand
this scroll on which is written
all that I missed, sleeping
A coyote, tracks threading
the edge of the frozen lake
up toward the ridge –
hunger, visible
Quick brushstrokes of bird feet
likely this scolding sparrow
short, stony chips
his song a secret
for yet more frozen weeks
Last, rabbit
loping 4-dots in the snow
lucky rolls of the dice
crossing after the coyote
headed home with the news –
still alive.
© Pepper Trail