Ohio

[Todd]

Hi Miley,

I found myself enjoying this one. While there were moments it flirted with being a list of concrete attributes I felt you really tied it together and made it work.

Recall what's folded in this river valley:--Good opening word Recall. It gives a layer of history and importance as if the reader should remember that there is a lot to be discussed. I like the idea folded also.
honeysuckle, salt factories, glaciers—Excellent details, I like the light introduction of glaciers. It makes the later lines feel earned.
somewhere, the tallest tree, elsewhere, the smallest.
What slow sound folds within the trees:
capillary action, water, turning 
heartwood, call and response.--Normally, this sequence of rapid-fire words would throw me off, but I think by introducing them as the slow sounds within trees that have seen everything though mute in a way is a nice touch. I think if I were reading this aloud I would give even a slightly longer pause then the comma demands (though I'm not suggesting a punctuation shift, if I were reading it I would personally treat the commas as periods to full stop and emphasize each detail).


What's folded in this river valley:
chest beating personas, boys and girls seeking ways out--chest-beating probably needs a hyphen. I'm not of personas. It feels too artificial a word for this.
and ways in—doors or windows—--I think you could either cut doors or windows or you could demonstrate the action and cut the telling seeking ways out and ways in. I'm undecided I just think some cut should be here.
snake skins languishing silver on muddy banks,--Best standalone image in the poem.
a choir singing: steamboats, locomotives, --thought on parallel structure here below you have crickets (natural) lawnmowers (manufactured) you may want to follow that structure above and replace either steamboats or locomotives with a natural alternative.
crickets, and lawnmowers.  


Recall recall recall
what's folded in this river valley:
forgotten memorials, dead languages 
suspended on signpost in public parks, 
words like, Ohiyo, Miami, or Shawnee.


Recall glaciers splitting the heads of mountains—glaciers suicide-diving to the sea.--This is a beautiful line. I would probably reverse these two and lead the cars because I think for this smaller strophe the glaciers as the second line would have more punch. 
Recall cars driving through Route 50, Bridgetown, Dogtrot,  Zion.


What's folded in this river valley:
honeysuckle, salt factories, glaciers—
somewhere, the largest sound, elsewhere, the smallest.
And folded within a sound: the channels, the sediment,
the taste, and the runoff. --you bring back the echo of ideas, you earn the ending and the last two lines here are a solid conclusion.

I hope some of those opinions are helpful to you. If not, please ignore them.

Best,

Todd