Alaska

camping near northway –
wakes up t’find mouse using
th’hole in th’bug’s floorboards
(5-16)





dull glow ‘f evening –
anchorage clerk won’t sleep,
time t’go see people
(1-18)





camping near th’alcan –
had some meat ‘n’ fry bread ‘n th’skillet
of course th’bear found him
(1-18)






delaney park strip,
th’fireworks – outside town, the bush,
th’purple swirling lights
(3-16)




huge feast, out in th’bush –
miles from th’d’laney park fireworks,
they share their whole world
(3-17)






in denali's lap,
a field of ripe blueberries -
th'old bear takes a breath
(7-05)







th’guy flips his kayak –
quick bath ‘n th’clear blue alcan lake
which seems t’have no name
(1-17)






awkward, th’broken pack –
from th’kenai, sparkle ‘f th’sea’s edge,
‘n’ money won’t buy much
(3-17)





short hike into th’bush
th’ev’ning sun sets ‘t tok junction –
th’bear, too, has noticed
(1-17)






tok junction camper –
haunted by th’impounded cars
back ‘t th’yukon border
(2-16)







through th’yukon border –
th’image ‘f th’impounded cars ‘n’ trucks
sticks with’m all summer
(1-17)







purple lights swirling -
heavens' light show pins their backs
to th'northern tundra
(9-05)









purple swirling lights –
not th’normal earth we lie on,
it’s arctic tundra
(4-17)





tokyo to new york,
her plane laid over 'n anch'rage -
that sun never set
(1-12)







tok junction campsite,
stuck at fork in road - okay
'til 'bout september
(9-05)








anchorage harbor -
sunset turns into sunrise
slowly, in silence
(8-05)









ninilchik harbor -
onion dome reaches for moon,
salmon boat docks full
(7-05)







road to ninilchik –
in th’boat, watch th’long sunset, then,
haul in th’salmon nets
(4-16)








salmon flop in th’boat –
onion-domed church ‘n ninilchik
welcomed all spirits
(6-17)








seasick and sleepless,
hauls th’kenai salmon in th’boat,
wonders where th’night went
(4-16)






near tok, ancient saab -
vermont tags, loaded down with
alcan gravel dust
(10-08)









loaded down old saab,
close t’ th’gravel – th’alcan dust
covers th’vermont tags
(10-16)









anch’rage, its bleakest –
th’cold august rains pound th’laundry,
he calls home collect
(6-16)






back t’savage river –
th’early dusk, th’snow, th’tales ‘f breakdowns
have th’tourists worried
(1-18)







fairbanks mission soup,
still warm as days get shorter -
stay for the oil boom?
(12-11)







sitka cann’ry tale -
mind-numbing season ‘f fish heads,
money t’burn on drink
(9-15)






sitka cannery
cash – plenty t’burn ‘til th’first frost,
then th’question ‘f where t’go
(9-17)






sitka canner’s tale
thousands of fish heads ‘n august,
but now th’money’s gone
(1-17)







th’first chill catches him –
alcan dust, vast wilderness,
he turns back t’whitehorse
(2-16)







denali park road –
th’bear, too, here f’r th’road lottery,
not playing by th’rules
(1-18)









purple lights ‘n th’kenai –
aurora ‘n fall reminds him
‘f his year with th’deadheads
(10-17)







down'n tok he'll decide,
hitch t'th'forty-eight for winter,
or cut back t'kenai
(12-11)






souls’ day, bering sea –
moonlight, ice ‘n’ water, on th’plane,
everyone’s asleep
(10-17)







since th'night th'grateful dead
came t'anch'rage, endless darkness,
pale lights've been his stage
(10-14)






new year’s eve, and th’moose
crashes palmer man’s party –
quits drinking for good
(6-15)








they watch th’rose parade –
th’moose, stranded ‘n th’palmer blizzard,
peeks in from th’outside
(12-17)

wolf moon, bering sea -
from th'airplane, earth's ghostly face -
tea, while others sleep
(1-14)




earthquake detection –
aleutians have th’best ‘f systems,
‘n’ th’whole winter t’watch them
(4-18)




d'nali train has t'stop -
man, dog, long trek t'their cabin
by dark 'n' snowed-in trail
(1-14)







man ‘n’ dog, th’whiteout storm,
hear th’railway – but only th’dog
is sure it will stop
(1-17)


-->



he survived th’sixties,
works ‘n some post office near tok,
breath’s frozen ‘n his beard
(1-18)







frozen road’s smoother,
says th’bearded alcan trucker –
but you can’t break down
(10-16)







from th’cabin in th’bush
he watches the blizzard downtown
on th’fairbanks webcam
(1-16)




wanted t’be alone –
cabin’s whited out, ‘n’ his eyes
‘re on th’fairbanks webcam
(6-17)






dog vet’rinary –
course she carries what she needs,
mushes ten miles t’school
(10-17)





lived ‘n barrow twelve years –
‘t’s not th’mornings, fifty below,
‘t’s th’months ‘f darkness, ‘ll kill you
(10-17)





cold, rain, fog - juneau's
best valentine flowers, but
she misses texas
(1-13)







th’snow melt brings th’hunger,
‘n’ th’morning sun’s on denali –
th’bear, too, likes th’berries
(1-17)





from th’small flat ‘n tokyo,
flew over th’north – now, ‘n anch’rage,
it’s spring, ‘n’ folks’re laughing
(12-17)








otherworldly robe,
feet on fresh-turned earth - kenai
sun on old b'liever
(12-11)










on th’hill ‘bove homer,
th’old believer tills his earth –
eyes on th’western sky
(10-16)







sitka fishing boat
saved those deer from certain death -
frigid march waters
(12-11)





fairbanks library –
she tells about her dogs, ‘n’ why it’s
all about winning
(5-15)







changed her life th’first time
she saw them pull th’sled – on th’map,
traces th’iditarod
(5-15)







in willow, th’mushers,
off t’skwarentna and yentna –
th’blizzard clouds th’vision
(5-15)








skwarentna ‘n’ yentna,
th’worst ‘f all blizzards – lost two dogs,
but still finished th’race
(10-16)







all ‘bout th’comp’tition –
points her dogs t’skwarentna ‘n’ yentna,
hoping not t’lose them
(9-17)






single ptarmigan,
a stunted spruce, a spring cover -
freeze-dried blueberries
(12-11)







eight straight days of rain,
not a road out of the place -
juneau in april
(12-11)







'n tolkeetna cabin,
she's so far from home, but here's
'r field 'f forget-me-nots
(11-14)







field ‘f forget-me-nots –
moved t’tolkeetna t’get away,
now he’s everywhere
(10-16)







sets out from fairbanks,
explores th’vast wilderness, loves
th’days that last f’rever
(12-15)



 

purple swirling lights –
tok bear seems t’care more ‘bout th’smell 'f
morning blueberries
(6-17)





twin engine cessna –
clear day, blooming tundra, ‘bout
thousand caribou
(6-17)



-->
caribou ‘n’ th’cessna –
change direction by th’hundreds,
but don’t seem t’fear him
(9-17)











dreamed 'v northern lights f'years,
one week they came up t'fairbanks,
'n'june rains settled in
(1-14)







near prince william sound,
week in an alpine meadow -
devil's clubs talk back
(12-11)








short growing season –
anch’rage gard’ner tells ‘bout th’world’s
biggest dand’lions
(12-16)






th’forget-me-nots bloom,
th’tolkeetna cabin’s empty –
he came, but she’d left
(1-18)


e pluribus haiku