Gods lived in the earth. 
Their anchors, like ancient trees,
tapped deep into the repetition of everything

The stars spun above,
trails crossing in complex mandalas
and faraway tides gnawed on beaches
each swelled and sank in daily sets of four. 
fractal spirals curled in shells and pinecones
honeycombs and seafoam
settling into comfortable hexagons

When spring melts came
and the sky brightened with no promise of rain,
gods of blooming mountains and withering stalks
watched their people leave for fruitful plains

All things came in patterns

When the rain returned
so would they