Seeing a Corner of the Sky in Gary Snyder’s Mountains and Rivers without End

Morris Graves. BIRD EXPERIENCING LIGHT. 1969. Tempera on paper. 12 15/ 16" x 10 1 /4". Seattle Art Museum, Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, ace. no. 70.16. Photo: Paul Macapia. Courtesy of the Morris Graves Estate. S e e in g a C o r n e r o f t h e S k y in G a r y S n y d e r ’s Mo u n t a in s a n d Riv e r s w it h o u t En d J u l i a M a r t i n W a l k i n g o u t o f t h e h o u s e in t o p e e l i n g p a i n t a n d p l a s t i c b a g s in M o w b r a y , S o u t h A f r i c a , s w e e t d a t e s s c a t t e r e d o n t h e p a v e m e n t fr o m t h e p a l m t r e e o n t h e c o m e r , t h e b r a n c h e s h e a v y w it h l a t e s u m m e r fr u it a n d s t a r lin g s. W a l k i n g t o R o n d e b o s c h a l o n g t h e M a i n R o a d , t h e s m e l l o f c a r s a n d b u se s, t h e p a v e m e n t b r o k e n a n d m e n d e d , t a x i s c a llin g “ C l a r e m o n t , W y n b e r g . . . ,” t h e M o w b r a y O n e P r ic e S t o r e w it h s e v e n b i g d o l p h i n s n e w l y p a i n t e d o n t h e g la ss. B l u e sk y b e y o n d , a n d D e v i l ’s P e a k h u g e b e h i n d t h e b u il d in g s. W a l k i n g t o w a r d R o n d e b o s c h , o a k t r e e s, m a r i g o l d s , c a r s, b o o k s h o p s , c a fé s, s t u d e n t s , ic e c r e a m s , t h e L i e s b e e c k R i v e r fl o w in g t o t h e s e a . B u y a b o o k fr o m F r a n c e s a t h e r s h o p , t a l k t o T r e v o r , se e R o y c a r r y in g a p a c k e t o f a n t i b i o t i c s . W a l k i n g b a c k , m o u n t a i n in c l o u d s , h o t d a y , t r a ffic fu m e s. I n M o w b...