THOUSAND OF ACRES OF SNOW

IT'S DEEP ENOUGH, STAN SAYS,
BUT IT'S NOT STEEP ENOUGH

He pops out of powder
up to his thighs. His beard a frozen
ice falls, worthy of photography or climbing.
I've been following his smooth lines

for beauty through a snow storm.
He won't turn 70 until next week,
and we haven't talked for a year.
You have a better memory than I do,

he says. It's a process, I say,
wanting him to talk about quad muscles
in deep snow. No helmet, no phone,
alone on the ridge at boundary ropes,

Stan's knees survive carpentry
and steep slopes. He snowboards.
This ski instructor takes kayak lessons now,
he's learning to turn his kayak

in the Y pool. They say
it's not necessary, but I turned myself over
in Wallula Lake, and now I think it is.
Let your skis do the work--Stan's

response to muscle talk. I thought
these skis would be my last ones and now
I'm looking at yours, he says, turning
into trees, singing back--Stay centered.

Jim Bodeen
25 February 2011


"EVERYBODY KNOWS"--L. Cohen

"The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor." L. Cohen

Everybody who listens to Leonard Cohen knows.
We get the news. We know.
The ICE Raid up the road in Ellensburg.
We know.

Corexit comes up twice
in two short conversations in Paradise Basin.
Making eye contact. We know.

Jim Bodeen
25 February 2011


AFTER SKIING TWELVE DAYS IN FEBRUARY,
I ASK KAREN WHEN WE'LL HEAR ELECTION RESULTS

For what? she asks.
Mayor or city manager form of government.

That was decided weeks ago.

Jim Bodeen
24 February 2011


FIVE YEAR-OLD SKIERS

Cover thousand acres
Bicycles with training wheels
riding home sidewalks

Jim Bodeen
23 February 2011