The fermented river
grey blue, through dry cane
scuds wave backward
under a cloy breeze.

Foam crumbles on
muskrats’ mussels
shelled like spent roe
from Chinook flank
rotting, eyeless,
credit winter’s
flesh on sand.

A raving year, bent
homeward, craving,
wrenching up mountains
burst upriver
thrashing release
up up up river.

This end
breathless, rotting
leaves fermented
melting on shores,
reeds, banks, beds

A winter to ripen
feed new year.