Sunset at Star Creek

Sunset at Star Creek

4 sheep, 150 goats, 3 dogs
all female goats, mixed dogs with Anatolian blood
and I, also a dog, according to Chinese astronomy
4 sheep, 150 goats, and 4 dogs

mists that roll up and over the hills
filling the surrounding valleys
a sunset eternally recurring
though infrequently seen from this vantage point

bathed in setting sun, amidst fertility of goats
and spirit of dogs, who dance and bay
throughout the night, thoughts turn to her
who has awakened my desire

sacrificial goat for the feast,
a wandering band of gypsy musicians
'03 primitivo straight from the barrel,
more intoxicating than night-blooming dhatura
the fragrance of nocturnal passion

blanketed beneath a sky of shooting stars,
these Santa Cruz Mountains become timeless . . .