Steeped (copyright 2000, by Kathleen Pilchowski) a fierce hill rose before them groped by thunderheads lit with meadows unfriendly to nature mocking the men pale amber tea, cast in plum leaves fragmented divination no stalks or coins will save them the water streams readily setting steam to the fires. what do they do? now assaulting the human army, now trembling with the wet heat of destruction was it Jove's thunder or man's, that fired the first salvo? the face of god will not suffer for all they see is his gleaming back no tablet is needed to see who is chosen today and the laws that were not followed were kept.