Bison

For 100 years, the ghosts of bison have emerged from the man-made lake, where once they ambled down to Prickly Pear Creek to water.

For 80 years, the ghosts of bison have emerged from the rolling waves and plodded around the log cabin that sits near the shores of the lake under the knit of golden willow and ash.

For 60 years, the ghosts of bison have emerged from the water and thundered up through the arroyo that leads to the small plain above the lake.

For 20 years, the ghosts of bison have thundered up from the crashing waves at the lakeshore and filtered through the juniper and bull-pine hills surrounding my house.

For the last two nights, the ghosts of bison have been stampeding up from the creek that is no more and have been crashing against my house.

--Mitchell Hegman