Part I
daybreak
at a boat ramp
fifteen miles up the salmon river
from riggins, idaho
beneath a gnarly juniper tree
sit the three buddhas
passing a joint
they hear a '57 chevrolet bel-air nomad
roaring up the river road towards them
the chevy
is pulling a 23 foot jet boat on a trailer
and it turns off into the gravel parking lot
circles
and comes to a stop
the buddhas watch
as the chevy backs across the lot,
at 40 miles per hour,
straight down the ramp
suddenly breaking
and sliding the last 20 yards
the trailer comes to an abrupt stop
all the wheels buried below water
and the jet sled pops off
god rolls down the window
"turboglide, baby," he says,
"you gotta love it"
"where've you been?" asks one of the buddhas
"yeah, it seems like an eternity,"
says another buddha
as he takes a toke off the joint
"well let me enlighten you," says god
"it's a big universe"
"an empty universe," says the second buddha
"and it's expanding," adds the third
as he holds the smoke in his lungs
"you boys want to fish or talk?" asks god
the buddhas look at each other;
"fish," they say in unison
"well, you might want to grab the boat
before it leaves without us," says god
"and would one of you mind getting me
another budweiser
out of the cooler on the back?"
the buddhas grab the rope
and a bud for god
"thanks," says god
as He snaps back the lid
of a zippo lighter
and fires up a lucky strike
blue smoke curls to the heavens
the air is soft, expectant
sage, juniper, spent lighter fluid
across from the ramp
in a pocket of water
of dark, blue green water,
a steelhead rolls
"i'll go park the rig," says god,
as he looks up the canyon,
with a smile.
Part II
at a boat ramp
fifteen miles up the salmon river
from riggins, idaho
beneath a gnarly juniper tree
sit the three buddhas
passing a joint
they hear a '57 chevrolet bel-air nomad
roaring up the river road towards them
the chevy
is pulling a 23 foot jet boat on a trailer
and it turns off into the gravel parking lot
circles
and comes to a stop
the buddhas watch
as the chevy backs across the lot,
at 40 miles per hour,
straight down the ramp
suddenly breaking
and sliding the last 20 yards
the trailer comes to an abrupt stop
all the wheels buried below water
and the jet sled pops off
god rolls down the window
"turboglide, baby," he says,
"you gotta love it"
"where've you been?" asks one of the buddhas
"yeah, it seems like an eternity,"
says another buddha
as he takes a toke off the joint
"well let me enlighten you," says god
"it's a big universe"
"an empty universe," says the second buddha
"and it's expanding," adds the third
as he holds the smoke in his lungs
"you boys want to fish or talk?" asks god
the buddhas look at each other;
"fish," they say in unison
"well, you might want to grab the boat
before it leaves without us," says god
"and would one of you mind getting me
another budweiser
out of the cooler on the back?"
the buddhas grab the rope
and a bud for god
"thanks," says god
as He snaps back the lid
of a zippo lighter
and fires up a lucky strike
blue smoke curls to the heavens
the air is soft, expectant
sage, juniper, spent lighter fluid
across from the ramp
in a pocket of water
of dark, blue green water,
a steelhead rolls
"i'll go park the rig," says god,
as he looks up the canyon,
with a smile.
Part II
face of the deep waters, baby
without form,
fathomless
void
god, moving
mystic mists
twilight
the witching hour
and god said, "let there be steelhead"
and there were steelhead
but no one could catch them
and He saw that the steelhead were good
and god said, "the rest will take care of itself"
"what are you saying?" ask the buddhas
from within the cabin of the jet boat
fogged by sweet smoke
"nothing," says god, "i was just talking to myself"
"nothing?" repeats the first buddha
all three buddhas start snickering
"steelhead have buddha nature," say the buddhas
"well, they live in the present moment,
and are mindful only of themselves,
i will say that," says god
as they approach a class five rapid,
god momentarily slows the jet boat
as He reads the waters
big water
big fucking water
big water forced through
narrow canyon walls
then god surges into the white water
and at full throttle
cuts all the way across
between two rocks,
gigantic, ancient, submerged
and then up again and through
suddenly
still up on plane
they are gliding
on a long slick of smooth water
autumn colors succumb to purple
mourning purple
shadows birthed by steep canyon walls
"when are we going to fish?"
asks the first buddha
"yeah, is this a good spot?
asks the second
"is this where the steelhead dwell?"
ask the third buddha.
up at the helm, god squints around
and takes a long drag
on a slightly damp lucky strike
"how should i know," says god
"omniscience has its limitations."
off the bow
of a jet sled
on the salmon river
in southern idaho
By: Wayne Mackeson (USA) ©2008
Photo's: zero image 69, pinhole camera, kodak e100vs color slide film
image cropped to 15x7
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