Da Ow Aga: Edge of Lake Tahoe, Phrase of the Washoe Tribe
Ice Age moved down
Glaciers through canyons, west side,
Moraines left behind
Till lava flow, north side,
Mt. Pluto formed dam across
River outlet
Before water erosion of path;
Snowfall, streams, runoff
To fill one of deepest
Lakes, alpine freshness
Surrounded by cedar and pine,
Fir and shrub,
Evergreen groundcover and brush,
Willow, lupine, phlox, penstemon
Wyethia, lily, and paintbrush,
So many flowers to name
Making home with the lake
Of the hidden fish
In the shades of blue
Vibrating in molecules, shortest wavelengths
Visible into indigo
Waters where I breathe and live at the edge
On volcanic rock
Once cooled above, cooled below.
dewdíʔiš Lísiʔ, déʔek degót’aʔa—
Between the trees,
Broken, split rock.