appealing

The Maynard
Fall 2020

Susan Landgraf
0:00
 
 

Reading Rocks and Mountains

Her father’s ranch hand had learned
the lay of the land, come to know the mountains,
their shadow patterns and shifts.

*

Since birth she’d listened to the mountains,
their rocks, moss and elk, cougar, and raven
conversations. She’d learned to translate.

She’d learned by digging through books,
studying scat and wind fall. She’d marked
the trails and lairs and their animal habits.

*

She knows what the risks are—
early season snowstorms or rock fall.
She knows what the ranch hand wants.

She learned early how to ride and shoot.
She learned to be quiet.
She knows what to listen for.