Upon my skull
The sun bears down
As heat drifts up
From dusty ground
I wonder
At the tenacity
Of living things
And marvel at the beauty
Death sometimes brings
I wonder
At the tenacity
Of living things
And marvel at the beauty
Death sometimes brings
I may think of friends
Who are far away
But always in my orbit
Always there
Even if not visible
In my daylight skies
And then we rested
Ate and slept a little
Then rose
Rose up in the dark
And then we climbed
And climbed some more
Torches in our hands
Footfalls stiff
On granite cold
We approached the ziggurat
Towing over thirty feet of living space
Exiting
The Valley of the Gods
Switchbacks, gravel and steep grades
More than a thousand feet straight up
I wondered
At the wisdom of this drive
Then the thought
Each adventure ever had
Begins with
Just a little bit of faith
With their first step
Began their song
Which made the land
I stand upon
No strokes go wrong
She’s always right
And so I learn
What beauty is
Old Man Rock
He’s steady-on
I sit upon him
Wondering
At all that is
And ever was
And what it means
And what becomes
initial state — Darwin, dawn;
Day 1: drive, heat, water, sweat, swim, flies, drive, eat, hike, flies, water, dirt, water, flies, heat, water, sweat, water, dust, flies, water, swim, flies, flies, flies, drive, water, dust, water, eat, flies, dark, dirt, flies, water, camp, beer, dirt, flies, eat, beer, mossies, mossies, sleep, mossies, mossies, wake-up, sleep, mossies, wake-up, sleep, mossies, dawn, crows, wake-up, flies
But even if
You’re nowhere near
The sky is filled
With smoke