the trail is easy
it says so on the map
level
flat
easy to traverse
making my way through
the overhanging trees
past the dead wood
storm or man felled
and overtaken as often
as i overtake children
families dogs the elderly
the ground is at times
hard, broken sandstone
or soft, powdered earth
when i come to a clearing
where the ground flattens out
a smooth place near a creek
once a mighty river
that carved out this channel
and wore down the red earth
i look into the distance
and see the cliffs rising
red columns and tall and proud
as any european cathedral
thats what they call it
cathedral rock
to get a better view
i must cross the creek
removing my socks and shoes
like i’m about to enter a holy place
and wade through icey water
up to my knees
the current almost catches me
but i stay upright
and make my way through the dense
growth again
spilling out onto a plain
and were the sun agreeable
i could say that i am in its shadow
on my return journey
i encounter no one
and have no words to speak
to them anyway
the earth is red
and i think
this is the blood of the earth
rising to the surface
not an omen or warning
not becuase she is wounded
but because that is what
you need for true communion
i think of those years wasted
eating crackers and drinking grape juice
when the asnwer was under my feet
and i want to bury my heart in her
Words and Feathers 