Everything is better in the mountains
Everything is glowing
The clouds are better -- more pronounced
The lichen POP
Top-lit trees shimmer and smile while
Stout purple irises wave from the sidelines of
    Alderpoint Road

A lone turkey with a pink-blue head manages traffic,
    and we stop as directed for our

April first dip in the Eel
We're overdue for a good baptizing
The firm swift spank of cold mountain water on
Our bareness is a proper welcome to springtime church

Absolve us, Eel!
Absolve us of the sins of zombie vampire humanity,
Cast away the darkness, we adore your light!

Resting ashore, we see
A pair of jays announce the news with flashes of blue
A black and yellow ess of garter snake passing silently
A splash! of sturgeon (salmon?) sparkling and then
We slip back in to the cold

Duly absolved
We return to the warm rocks
The sky groans loudly -- trails, oh, contrails...
We resume our shared and deliberate forgetfulness
And a pair of blessed bees consecrates our chests