Mountain's Dawn

The West horizon, leafed and climbing,
awakens steeped in gray.
Beneath the river's rising mist
the mountain darkly bends,
a deep descent commencing East
to greet the water's edge.

Beyond the river, still and listening, East
the hilltops facing, soft with embers glow.
Quick the embers shift and shade, and deepen-
a golden rush ascending, primrose rising,
sudden glints and lunging Westward leaps
to light the mountain gray.

At once the West horizon sighs.
Amidst the climbing woods
the ashen mist becomes like March's snow;
retreating, riverbound recoiling,
leaving bare the sodden leaves and soil.

The forest dawns;
embers leap and set the leaves a-light,
glaring yellow caught with scarlet,
gold with garnet!
Every tree becomes a flower's quickened bloom,
as pedals lately curled and closed commence with opening,
colors seldom seen arise
and crest the tower's restless reaching,
crest the mountain's shadowed bend,
and crown its hallowed peak.

With all the valley caught ablaze,
the bounding sky returns to blue,
the birds emerge and set to singing,
the river, calm reflecting fleets
who lofting set to Southward sail
as ordered geese commence their crying,
ponder's morning's rise and Western reach,
which buried all that evening left
as jade and deepest green,
beneath its crown of crimson, clear and crisp.

But like a fire
fast consuming,
October's day is short,
and Autumn's early eve
upon the mountain firstly falls;
behind its timbered crest
the wilting sun departs,
its raging red declines to auburn,
shading dim the leafed and downward bend.
The forest sets to dusk,
its crimson chars to claret,
all that shone with yellow, gold and garnet,
sets and darkens,
deep maroon beneath the mounting moon.

Night emerges, black and clear,
obsidian marked with micah.
Its cast expance expends the lasting light
of long expired stars from constellations lit
and placed above the empty earth
when man had yet been spoke,
or given eyes to skyward see.

The obstinate pinetrees stir nor shiver,
wan and quiet, caught
beneath the crescent's palid climb,
as night commences late
to greet the faintest first-light.

Then just beyond the Eastern edge,
faint ascends a thickening glow.
The water casts no crease or quiver,
East the hillsides softening sigh.
Amidst the acorned branches chiming,
the palest chards of color facing,
the West horizon, leafed and climbing,
awakens steeped in gray.