The mountain

On a clear night if
The conditions are right
You can see the Coke machines
Shining on the mountain side
And in the day time
The snow-tipped majesty
Will whisper to you
It will ask you to
Save your 26 dollars
And go away.

Andy and Theresa
Inflicted their love on the trunk of
A pine tree
To hide their smallness
From the foggy green mouth
Of wooded infinity
And took 104 photographs
Believing they might capture
The world’s biggest place in
1 set of 35mm 4 x 6 Glossy 24 exp.

The mountain shuddered
Shifting the sand in ashtrays
And interrupting the stream
Of the urinating man behind the
Tip Top Café
Tears rolled down its face
When it saw people kneeling
Placing Cheeto offerings
On the altar of
The ground squirrels.