<html aria-label="message body"><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="font-size: 22px;">The Creek In Shirley Canyon</span><div style="font-size: 22px;"><br></div><div style="font-size: 22px;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px; text-indent: -32px;">A long, slow dusk on the day before solstice—</span></div><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">I did it, I did it, I did it</em>: song of the pond frogs.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Shrill piping of the cliff swallows, fluting of a vireo,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Raspy song of the Bewick’s wren. So commotion</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">In the trees! These evenings of long light</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Must be high festival to them. It’s the time</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">When the light seems tender in the needles</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Of the pine, the shimmer of the aspen leaves</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Seems kindly on the cliff face, gleams</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">On the patches and gullies of snow summer</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Hasn’t touched yet. And the creek is flush</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">With life, streams of snow melt cascading down</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">The glacial spills of granite in a turbulence</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">The ouzel, picking off insects in the spray,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Seems thrilled by, water on water funneling,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Foam on foam, existence pouring out</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Its one meaning, which is flow. Up here,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">In the last light, the vireo’s warble declares,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Repeats, falls silent. The swallows, soaring,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Dipping. They must be feeding their young</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">The insects they are gleaning from the pond.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">And the frogs: <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">I did it, I did it, I did it</em></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;">Fall silent one by one as dark comes on.</span><div style="font-size: 22px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><br></span></div><div style="font-size: 22px;"><span class="long-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-indent: -32px; margin-left: 32px; display: inline-block; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 21.6px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Robert Hass</span></div></div></body></html>