Ceó Ruaírc
Threading Our Way
Peace River territory
The Peace purls a ripple stitch across the Rockies
down through fertile valleys
air shimmers in waves
over the hot road to Hudson’s Hope
glistening fish hide in hollows
fishers patient hopeful
on the farm Grandma weaves
a sheaf of wheat into wreathes
Grandpa spins a yarn of bright words
around the fire
we gather, sing old songs, dance
give thanks as frost approaches
horses bow to drink where split-rail fences
cross-stitch fields together
hot clouds of breath rise like prayer
below powdered hills
paper birch reach bare boned
toward a radiant sky
red fox hops and hunts small critters
scurry under a deep crisp blanket of white
the river, a band of dark silk
slows across frozen land, grows pale
bears sleep dreaming the zig-zag dance
of elk and wolf …
… lynx and hare, dreaming return
of bright buds bursting
the Mighty Peace
sheds her frozen skin
in the distance, Pink Mountain’s
surreal blush blooms
stone sheep bleat, moose bellow
we hunger for this
like a bear’s drowned hope
of bright buds bursting
we rise like a prayer, patient hopeful
dance give thanks
as the wolverine hunts, bare boned
we fight for this land
threading our way up over mountain
down through fertile valley
we gather
Naturalist/poet, Ceó Ruaírc writes from wild places, inspired by wolf song, coastal storms, and the tenacity of trees. Ceó lives along the shores of Discovery Passage, British Columbia, where unnamed creeks meander through rainforest down to the Pacific Ocean. Bald Eagles nest nearby, as do Belted Kingfishers, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Northern Pygmy Owls. A great diversity of wild neighbours includes Cougar and Black Bear, Roosevelt Elk, Humpback Whales, Pacific Tree Frogs and Rough-skinned Newts.