Leelanau

She rode horses, rode two horses down from leelanau.
sunday morning, tired and torn, one horse was all we saw.
call mother! call mother! tell her to run!
bring water for quickly shall set the sun.
a footprint, two footprints in the white snow
a rosevine been twisted into a halo
then deeper, then deeper into the trees
they found eagle feathers bound up in threes
cold water, cold water, oh leelanau.
my brother, oh my brother spoke of what he saw:
a low light! yellow white! off to the north!
a shadow, an echo of hooves of horse.
lately now i dream of snow
falling fast white as bones
darkness knows its way around
all i’ve hidden it has found.
touch your palm to my forehead
keep me hungry, keep me fed
darkness knows itself by name
though i didn’t call it came.