SPIDER HOLES

In the summer I poured water
Into some spider holes.
The plump arachnids ascended
Like frightened birds into the sky,
The parched and cracked earth began to sigh,
And in my backyard the corn reached up to the Sun like tall, leafy soldiers.
In the front yard red and pink hollyhocks
Smiled at garter snakes that coiled their
Yellow and black bodies in the thick, green grass.

While mother did the housework and father built homes,
My brother and I dressed like cowboys and practiced
Pioneer justice.
There was no new war yet to spoil all of our fun,
But the nuclear age was starting to scare us to death.
We escaped by going deep into the mountains,
We camped our souls beside a clean, flowing river.
Our dreams were greeted in the morning with sizzling
Trout on a campfire.