Prairie Shelter

With night slain
            red floods
the green lean of trees
            disturbing a prairie
horizontal that makes us hunch
toward the earth

what’s wild flowers
        in the random creases
                beyond us

brown sparrow dart
            drape of monarchs
through leaves’ purple underside
ringed in the cars’ undercurrent
that tears across a blue stitch

the road side aches
                   serrated edges of maple leaves
                   draining green      beneath our tires
                   a bird refuses flight

Gail Lukasik is the author of the recently released Door County mystery novel, Death’s Door.