Robert Coats has been writing poetry for 40 years. His work as an environmental scientist takes him outdoors and sometimes provides inspiration and material. He is drawn to poetry rooted in the West and reflecting a strong sense of place. A native Californian by birth (his great-grandparents having come by covered wagon in 1859), he spent part of his youth in the deciduous forests of Maryland, and the mountains of northeastern Nevada. His poems have appeared in Orion, Windfall, Canary, Song of the San Joaquin, the Pudding House anthology Fresh Water and a full-length book—The Harsh Green World—published in 2015 by Sugartown Publishing. Awards include first and third prizes in Menlo College’s “Wallace Stevens Where Are You” contest (1998), first prize in the 1994 contest of the American Society on Aging, and first prize in Word Worth’s 2010 poetry contest. Details of his professional work can be found at www.hydroikos.com.
WHAT TO DO ON AUGUST 26TH
Go to Rock Lake, Plumas country.
Before sunrise, stand
on the slate ledge that juts the lake.
Look to the western shore,
watch sunlight creep down
the red bank of schist.
Now turn east, look up
to the canyon rim
where Jacob’s ladders converge
at a dark hemlock
silhouetted
against the bright sky.
In the moment before
the sun crests the wall
the entire tree--bole,
branches, foliage--
will flash
into silver filigree.
Then the orb’s leading edge
will clear the jagged ridge, shooting
gold deep into liquid indigo
warming your face
flooding you
with light.
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