In the shadow of Angel’s Landing
I draw a circle and wait
Small and fleshy
As vulnerable as dew in the morning sun
One by one explanations and answers
Rise and fall like days
I close my eyes and wince
And wait for them to pass
They rattle through my body
Until I slip my feet into the water
And watch them float away
Down the Virgin river
I return to my circle to listen
The breeze plays in the cottonwoods
And soars with a condor
Up the great red walls of Mukuntuweap
The straight up land
Here I can open my eyes
An awestruckdumbpilgrim
When I mingle with the hungry ghosts
That wander the earth eating all they see
My eyes offend me
Comparing and judging
Sickening my soul
I want to cut them out
Here there is wholeness
Holiness everywhere I look
It feels good to desire without consummation
To want the land to be
Forever as it has always been