for Mary Charlo

To come this far would be worth a song
in any other time,

Ride this pass to open country,
country of my grandfathers, of Victor’s dust.

This car makes this journey small.
Think of…grandmothers, of great grandfathers, of my children
who count boulders big as bison to headwaters, Three Forks,
on horse or on foot with dogs carrying days
for buffalo, sacred buffalo jump long ago.
Think of tipi like old, gray smoke in trees.

So, sing this time when time is ripe
to break camp, to sing this plain
to thunder again.