notes from the vigilante tourism blog

 Notes from and Interview (for Lasso the Wind)

Notes from an interview: “These rural people are
pretty simple and unsophisticated,” the local
rouser of rabble said, leading a mob of eighty
so-called friends and neighbors to hang in effigy
two folks on the other side of an idea. Not that
this is new. “Joseph didn’t sell” notes Tim Eagan,
lucky enough to be through here but not on
the business end of an imaginary lynch mob.
Meanwhile, life goes on. “Vote for me!” pleads
this one and that. "I'm of this place - and here
just for you is a bumper sticker equal in
intellectual weight to my estimate
of your intelligence.” And with that, we'll all
operate according to our morals (all secretly
thinking prophylactically - I don’t want my laws
enforced with someone else's morals - as
you never know where they’ve been.) Oh, it’s
beautiful here in Wallowa County - poor stolen,
beat-up landscape. And all of us are complacent
beneficiaries  - whatever side we're on, no matter
how righteous or not, we occupy the Wallowa Country.

http://vigilanteetourism.blogspot.com

opera (for NaHaiWriMo)

warming up: wolves
coyotes, farm dogs

act two

Not In Montana, Idaho

 Not in Montana, Idaho
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A world without birds is singing
inside of each atom we’ve split
it is the sound shut up from all sound ending sudden
 
a water without frogs is shaking to contain itself
as a mother who may not hold a baby while she is diseased
 
a wolf runs in the snow beneath grey helicopters
The young one who  may be shot before she learns to be a young one  

we shake like the water   unsing like the atom
We have the patience not to shoot ourselves before we’ve learned more 
 
A part of us is running beneath trained rifles, holding this All:
shakes unsings with  minutes left  to learn what it must know

even little red knows (news from a small town)

Here's what Little Red knows.

Out watching wildlife, the wildlife
just may be eyeing you with equal
interest - maybe to see what kind
of meal tartare you might make,
there among the rocks and trees.

Certainly, you have options.

Feel what it is you feel, freeze
on the spot, run like a wild thing,
ignore everything for the short
term while you still can, or 
walk like a predator, not like prey -

put O D F W on speed dial.

food chain

more frightening than wolves,
the trophic cascade -
dollars top the food chain.

Once, Sis-nim-mux resonated

Once, Sis-nim-mux resonated

  to the deep song of the descendents

    of dire wolves . . .

And those who first named these hills

  noted kinship of similar beings,

     living simply on the land.

Long after paler folk chased first men,

  great bears and old wolves

    off this place... we are back.

Still innundated by many who respect little,

   love less and count only to "the bottom line,"

      we are back... with song, legend and science.

Trophic cascades, deep song echoing off canyon walls,

  more respectful song-dogs, Reynard resurgent,

    and a few who remember the old days...

Still, there are those who preach hate and fear,

  with newsprint, politics, rifles and traps.

      They have not learned respect or wonder.

Perhaps... there is room for a few to survive.

  Perhaps there are a few to wonder and awe.

    Perhaps . . .

                                         --ralph    Imbolc

Dear Wolf

The zumwalt prarie
yellow in the crook of arm.
(echo, echo, echo, echo)