Out of Time, Black Mesa Landscape, 1930, by Kathryn Schmeiser

Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico/Out Back of Marie’s II, 1930, by Georgia O’Keeffe (USA) 1930

Out of Time, Black Mesa Landscape, 1930
 
Wind-up alarm clock with hands 
runs wildly on ridges. Afternoon 
meetings scheduled with ravens, 
rock squirrels and pronghorns.
Scribbles penciled in wide
paper squares. Georgia pulls 
thumbtacked calendars from 
pinyon pines, slings pages
over orange-crinkled tissue 
paper hills. Turns brass 
Westclox around to face dark 
blue peaks. Time does not stand 
still on this mesa. Time does 
not exist.  She plants an easel, 
snatches brushes from a canvas 
pack. Mountains emerge, 
simmer, boil like white-froth
on her camp stove. Canyons 
collapse, lean against 
green-tinged folds. 

Kathryn Schmeiser
​
Kathryn Schmeiser is the author of two collections of poetry and photography. Her poetry has appeared in anthologies and journals, including The Ekphrastic Review, Gut Punch Literary Journal, Poets for Peace Sunflowers Rising: Poems for Peace Anthology. She and her husband live in western North Carolina and share their property with black bears, opossums and 23 wild turkeys.