Alighting from his sunny poplar perch, A redtail glides on rising air to soar In lazy loops, his eyes alert in search Of rabbits dashing through the morning hoar. Black cattle graze among the shattered mounds Of lava rocks that burst through meager soil Like horses' teeth in ancient burial grounds, Exposed to winter's ice and summer's broil. Down in the gorge, the restless river snakes Through hairpin turns. Its bounty—wasted there Among the stones—runs past to man-made lakes Where barges drift into the sunset's glare. This arid country's veins flow open, blue; Their glacial pulse obscure to human view.