Five Phesants

Tucked along the hedgerow
A brilliant white band
Wrapped like hockey tape
On a stick.
You could skate
The side roads here
Like I used to do in
MN. The furrows filled
With snow, the lines so
Familiar, like an old
Book dog eared.

The great humps of
The Olympics to the
West -- a view that
Ebey knew well as
He recollected his
Own upbringing
Back East somewhere.
Planting this new ground
Never comprehending
What would really
Grow up from these
Fields, a singular
Place -- set aside
For all to experience
Our collective rural roots
And the stories
They evoke and sustain.

By Mark Preiss, Reserve Manager