Cascade Canyon (among the Tetons)

Cascade Canyon (among the Tetons)

Pine air overpowers me
So rare that
I notice
what others might
take for granted
waking a nose
often neglected.

Every squirrel
and every marmot
thrills me;
every flower
wows my eyes.
I fumble and stumble
in a granite wonderland.

The climb
is not too harsh--
steep then flat.
To the right,
a Cathedral
To the left,
more than Grand.

How I will
always remember
the Hidden roar
of cascading falls
thundering so
quickly toward
Jenny Lake.

Love reigns in
the erotic veins
of this valley
more than any
act of Congress
or so called
philanthropy.

Myth can be
wiser than history,
but the sweet scents
in these mountains
are stronger still;
here we will talk
of these living dreams.

--JSM