Beneath Spokane there is a large reservoir that contains water that the city uses. A kindergartner is using some right now as he sips from the fountain outside his class. Above Spokane right now there are clouds. Those clouds contain water that will soon be descending rapidly toward residents, one in particular named Ronald who is meandering through the streets when suddenly his vision is obstructed by a drop hitting his glasses. To Spokane’s south there are the rolling hills of the Palouse. On the grass of the Palouse sit tiny specks of water droplets that are the result of an automatic sprinkler that seems to have forgotten that it’s January and that it’s cold and that all that needs watering is fast asleep. To the east of Spokane are the large lakes of the Idaho panhandle, Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille. On the northeast corner of lake Coeur d’ Alene a few ducks paddle with their feet in search of a mid-afternoon snack. To the north of Spokane are the Selkirk mountains. Snowy rolling peaks where skiers shoot down runs. The skis of one skier named Kevin pick up snow from the higher elevations. Kevin kicks off his ski’s and walks back to his car. The snow melts and wets the roof of his Rav4 as he drives back home. The water rolls down his windshield and he presses the wipers for a clearing of view. To the west of Spokane flows the mighty Columbia. A little south too, I suppose. The large river has over a hundred rivers and creeks that empty into it. One such emptying sees a trout tumble into the much larger body of water. Disoriented, the trout gives itself to the way of the river. A river that ultimately empties itself into the largest body of water, the Pacific. Flowing through Spokane is the Spokane river. This came from lake Coeur d’Alene to the east and will flow to the Columbia to the west. A trout or two may tumble from it as well.

Beneath Spokane are the roots of an oak at Manito park that formed from seeds that littered themself into place thanks to wind that blew though the area 84 years ago. Above Spokane an airplane is bouncing about and some flyer is wiping sweaty palms on jeans because the wind isn’t wanting to be nice to the worries of this troubled passenger as the flight descends. To the south of Spokane, over those same Palouse hills, there are very few trees so wind picks up steam and knocks the hat off a chick pea farmer walking out to his car to head to the grocery store because his wife is out of sugar and wants to make cookies and he’ll do anything for a cookie. To the east of Spokane wind knocks over a ponderosa pine that had been dead for some time but finally gave way between the heaviness of the snow and the breeze pushing through. A squirrel had just hopped form the branch of the tree and looks back as it collapses to the earth and doesn’t understand but also feels quite powerful all of a sudden. To the north of Spokane a person steps outside without their coat zipped up, the wind whooshes into their open coat and they are immediately overcome with a chill and say “fuck” accidentally and their seven year old looks up at them, eyes expanding and says “oooooohhh.” To the west of Spokane in the barrenness of central Washington one of the many tumbleweeds occupying the landscape scurries out onto I-90 and goes underneath a 2005 white Chevy Malibu and makes the subtlest of noises as it’s caught under the car and will continue to do so. The driver has finally had enough and pulls off at the Moses Lake exit with the Starbucks and orders a mocha only to forget why they had stopped and gets back onto I-90 only to hear the tumbleweed again. Through Spokane the wind knocks a cubed garden plot off a second story balcony and falls into an alley in front of an Australian shepherd and its owner. They both look at each other and the owner gives the Aussie a treat for its near peril and awards himself one too, but the human kind.

In Israel about 2000ish year ago Jesus told some priest that the way of God is best seen in the way of wind and water. And the priest didn’t get it.