By Douglas J. Lanzo
Copyright 2020

First published in Literary Yard on July 15, 2021

Majestic mountains, fossil beds galore,
Ancient bisons and dinosaurs of lore,
Glaciers, canyons and variegated plateaus,
Spraying sunlight, casting lumens and shadows;

Accentuating jewels of colors in sandstone,
Hoodoos etched from eons of winds blown,
Vermillion, pink and chocolate-coated cliffs,
As singular and eerie as improvised jazz riffs.

Snowpack crystals melting off the peaks,
Gently feeding pristine water into creeks,
Spawning grounds for rainbow and brook trout, 
Returning to their birthplace per their migratory route.

Mountain lions stalking elk and bighorn sheep,
Stealthily approaching before their final leap,
Fist-sized pikas spot coyotes lurking near,
Alerting the whole colony by whistling of their fear.

Eagles effortlessly ride currents of warm air,
Scanning for groundhogs emerging from their lair,
Black bears lumber purposefully down the slopes,
Foraging for berries and acorns amidst high hopes
Of finding Kokanee Salmon in the Colorado River,
Into which they swipe their paws with barely a shiver,
Fear not, if the shifting waters do not reward you this day,
There may be carelessly strewn campgrounds not far away.