The Bison of Santa Catalina Island

The bison on the hills,
hooves in sandy hollows,
a canvas of mousy brown knolls,
foxy rust of paintbrush,
and shaggy foothill needlegrass
against the sky the color
of wild hyacinths and blue dicks.*

He is one of Michaelangelo’s,
a fighter, haunting the Palazzo Vecchio
and the hills above Avalon.
Posing in a fight and flee mode
waiting for cameras,
stoic in his patience, anticipating the next move

from the Eco jeep tour.
The beast worshipped for where he lives
and not the damage done
on Santa Catalina Island.



*chelostemma capitatum