After the sunset, a dim brilliance hovers
Still
Indistinct and ineffable as
The breath of god,
The absence a burning presence,
Mountains and rivers shrouded
In a pink and orange blaze–
The soft light of memory,
Dreamy and shape-shifting.
On the surface, nothing grows
In this white expanse
But beneath the snowpack, life stirs
Still–
Lupine and bearberry and arctic moss
Sustained by the summer’s radiance
Awaiting the return of spring.
On a distant unnamed peak
Your spirit beams
Out and over and within,
Permeating the frost,
Infusing the landscape with heavenly hues
Transcending time and space.
An eternal golden hour.
Troy Larson, 1968-2022
Photo: Fairbanks, Alaska 1999
