from River of Love

This morning we paused on our hike for you to take pictures I looked down the cliff at the picture took an hour heard the falls falling it was so beautiful I ripped a large rock down the throat of it lost complete to sight more than twenty forty fifty more feet falling I didn’t hear it crash below but saw you yelling at me cupped hands to mouth then you forming fists my ears not hearing understanding for the falling volume surrounding us in tons passing tons rushing fast down the air then we further walking you close your mouth and we walking talking more about how we miss friends how peaceful nature this day was beautiful was my black lab liked walks like this I told you I told you about when she living and running liked fetching days and some nights you there listening beside me couched close or walking yards ahead from all fours jumping up to hump each other’s leg in random backyards or in my hands we hiked up and then more like climbed up then we scrambled up to the upper top of the upper top steep lip beautiful mountain exceptionally perched high point of our nature pleasure hike trees yellow-painted diamond happy trails hairy and threading autumn woodlands marked by the light striking in our heads the very purpose of our hike to arrive and stand and kiss and wagging tails we set down again toward a canoe passing dense trees.