Viking Mountain
by J. Randal Matheny

Scratchy black on foggy white,
The early chill of mountain height,
The leafless still of sapless bark,
Against the weakened morn stands dark.

The taste of moisture in the air,
With cloudy wisps, confusing glare,
Compressed are miles and years and north —
A tall, fierce Viking charges forth.

Photo: Gerald Austin, Viking Mountain, Greeneville TN 2014