Silverton, Colorado
Autumn in the high country;
Sharp cold air stings the nostrils
with the tang of dying vegetation
hit by the first hard freeze.
Above timberline the yellowing tundra
is dusted with white,
hinting of snows to come.
Veins of gold buried in the hard rock
seem to have spilled forth their treasure,
gilding the mountainsides
where aspens stand among the tall
spruce.
Afternoon’s rain storm rolls away
and the sun sets …
