cut bank memories

forgotten spring

a forest pool

a huge trout

in the cut bank

lurks,

balanced in the current

waiting for a meal


I belly crawl

earning a glimpse

huge humped green back

golden speckled sides


I've forgotten where the hidden pool is

and only find it

when minnow-flicker

memories

swept down stream

briefly swim

then swallowed

by the beast

from under the ledge.


Take 2


time crushed granite

a golden pebble bed

current raked

elbow in the stream.

cut bank

time and water carved

where the current pushes

against hidden stone

an old trout

ready for the wet mayfly

or fingerling trespasser


solo backpacking

a glimpse of a mythic fish

each year I return

stealthy

to spy grandpa trout


a century later he lingers

in the cut banks of memory

forgotten the range

forgotten the trail

remember the cut bank trout

hidden

waiting for a meal