On this morning's commute, I heard two list poems: "The Fantastic Names of Jazz" by Hayden Carruth, and "The Possessive Case" by Liesel Mueller. I was inspired to write my own, focused on the language of Mt. Hood, a place of immense significance to my family.
Alpine Glow
Trillium Lake, Lost Lake, Mirror Lake
Cooper Spur
Illumination Rock
Tom, Dick, and Harry Ridge
Cairn Basin, Elk Cove, and Ramona Falls
McNeil Point
Eliot Glacier
Tie-in Rock, the Hogsback, the Pearly Gates, and the summit
The Bergschrund and the Steele Cliffs
White River Canyon
Langille Craigs
Cathedral Ridge
Scree, glacier, crevasse
Traverse, glissade, self arrest
Old Man of the Mountain, lupine, Indian paintbrush
Glacier lily, Avalanche lily, Tiger lily, Fawn lily
Columbine, Delphinium, vanilla leaf, oxalis
chipmunk, golden squirrel, marmot
Clarks' nutcracker, mountain chickadee, Oregon junco
Tilly Jane
Cloud Cap
Alpine glow.
It's been such a long time since I visited Mt. Hood. I lived in Portland in the late 70's to 80's. I knew the lakes, but not all the other parts of the mountain you named. I love all the flowers, animals and birds you named. I remember Timberline Lodge and Snow Bunny and nearby Warm Springs Reservation.
ReplyDeleteI’d love to visit Oregon someday. I’ve been to California and BC, but that’s as close as I’ve gotten.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
If you ever make it out here, I'll take you to Powell's!
Delete