The diesel, gasoline engines rumble
From Detroit and Toyota
Filling the space between concrete and glass
Causing deafness—
A disconnect
Stealing the act.
Hearing only the opening bells
From Wall Street
While the media shouts with Yellow Headlines
and bullies threaten behind pulpits,
False prophets with
Hands out.

For a few,
Dark mornings start
With the clatter of
Deer antlers,
A mating ritual followed by the soft patter of rain
On earth and roof
Each snow flake distinct.

This opera plays below a stage of oak trees,
A forest of pine,
Ocean tide,
Arctic ice,
Grand canyons, and
Deserts sublime—
Breathing cold, hot winds through cactus, leaf and limb
Rattling melodies and
Whale song.