Townes is playing
he's fingerpicking a Martin
under a sequoia tree
he yells out: "this one's called red wine blues"
Jack laughs
hoists up two jugs
and takes a healthy slug
and passes it to his young wife
more people arrive
walking up the winding path
Gord, Stephen, John, Benjamin...
and many more
some are holding cases of Labbatt
over their heads
then dumping them into
troughs of ice
Gary wanders down
from his mountain shack
he'd been up there cooking
all afternoon
huge pots of chili
we start to spoon it out
two California girls
top the bowls
with shredded cheese
everything shimmers...fades
a robin starts to sing out
into the dawn
a crow joins in
a final ethereal glimpse
of Gary smiling
