August 17, 1959, 11:37 PM: A 7.5 earthquake hits west of Yellowstone, near Hebgen Lake, triggering a massive landslide that kills 33 people.
God's talking with Cleo again,
like he was that afternoon in '59
at the campground on Hebgen Lake
just before he buried it.
My grandparents, Cleo and Joe,
are driving the kids back to Tacoma
from Iowa. My dad is 14.
This is a creation story.
August 17 takes them to Hebgen Lake.
They make camp. My dad thinks
the fishing looks good.
How does a miracle happen?
I imagine it like this: Cleo, weary but attuned,
steps into a little field of quiet.
A small, clear voice wells up
from the land. It says, "Go."
She believes. She sweeps the family
back out onto the road so that
all that has happened since,
even her passing, can happen.