Walk through bramble and get stung by a wasp to see
one blue wildflower burning in a red meadow.

Fly a kite constructed of reeds and newsprint,
or weighted by stones, build a fortress for ants.

Tear down the snow fence, but save the posts.
Walk through time, but always return before dusk.

Eat a hatful of berries with two wild onions
and wash your breath with a tin cup of rain.

Deny the existence of prairie phantoms
when they snuff out kindling or watch you sleep.

Owe allegiance to things you can touch,
dirt and wood, to replace God, country, wind.

Send a fifth bottle down the swollen creek
with a note inside that reads "Be my friend."