A Sonnet for Yellowstone
Driving to Yellowstone Park last week, we
Wanted to drive a short distance for lunch.
The day was overcast with gray skies and
Some rain showers, even some mixed hail stones.
A week later, warmer days and more rain
Changes the landscape when melting snowpack
Combines with rain seeking the Gardiner
River to build a rising flow of floods.
Water rises, eating away river
Bank soil and stone, devouring road supports.
Paved roads collapse into swirling mud flows.
People evacuate the Park and leave.
Yellowstone Park may remain closed this year–
Collapsed bridges, destroyed roads close access.
Writing in Sand 