An aging sun sits atop a clear horizon,
birds bicker over bright things in the grass.
A coyote claims a slow deer
near the river
and snarling shares his prize
among the pack.

Rough commerce on the lake shore,
muskrat and coon.
The French want furs
and we can deliver,
let the Ho-Chunk and Shawnee be damned.

The lakefront glows, as does the river,
a new sun sits unnoticed in the east.
Ceres is a proud bitch,
blind to all encroachment.
Coyotes bide their time
among the weeds.