Reflecting on Mountains at Ojai, California
Like sleeping elephants
they lie, with moonlight
on their monstrous faces,
Around the world
the moon cries, and sinks over
faceless monsters.
blankets of
chamise and oak
draping, dry as heavy hides.
They cannot hide,
their numbers shrink,
bones bleaching in the grass.
They huddle closely,
safe as stone,
tranquil in their timelessness.
Their slumber in
the Serengeti
butchered by the cracking guns.
Evening spreads
a violet quilt gently
over sleeping giants.
Twilight on a
crimson carpet; sadly
the savanna bleeds.
Valley-wide
the night wind
sighs, as the mountains sleep.
