Canyon
Silently
watching the dark shadows
grow
longer, soon totally engulfing
everything
in darkness as the wings
of night
quickly descend over all,
bringing
a slight chill to the air
and
a different feeling of life,
there
is one, only one,
standing
on a ledge overlooking
the
depths of the canyon that
stretch
on forever to another time.
Staring
way off into the distance,
physically
there but not in mind,
something
jars her attention,
bringing
her back from her revelries.
The
canyon calls to her to descend
into
its depths to escape,
a long
trip down a narrow path
to
the winding river far below
at the
end of this nocturnal trek.
Once
this destination is reached
the blackness of
night is greeted in prayer.
Carefully
listening to the new sounds
which
fill the night air as in all dreams,
the
rushing river's white waters
pouring
over the
rocks which protrude,
the
sound of the winds rustling through
the
sparsely existent plant life,
the lonely
howls of the coyotes
in
the distance along with the low
rumbling
of thunder and the song
of the
crickets, the vigil begins.
Thunder
continues to rumble in the distance,
but
the stars still show their faces
at least
for a time, other worlds
far
from this place, another one sought
for
solace, for comfort, for completeness.
Silently
watching the night sky,
feeling
as one with it, the earth, the life
which
comes alive with the moonrise,
feeling
like this away from other human
habitation,
a place for reflection,
thoughts
running wild as the currents,
thoughts
of what once was but is no more,
thoughts
of the ongoing plight of others,
sights
of a face in a mind's eye,
so many
things cloud her mind at once.
The
rumbling continues but is closer,
the
fragrance of the approaching rain
filling in the
heavy air, enveloping her
as if in
a tight blanket, yet she wonders,
trying
to make sense out of it all,
wanting
to, but just not finding it,
tears
flowing down her cheeks
as the
sky finally allows
the
downpour through so that they blend
as one
while the lightening streaks
across
the night sky, lighting up
the
entire canyon which fills with
the
echoes of the ensuing thunder.
It crashes,
breaking the harmony
of the
night as the lightening still
slices
through the sky, and the rain,
causes
torrents in the rushing river
to race
even faster over the rocks.
Thoughts
keep tempo with those currents,
racing here and there, in all directions,
not
one complete thought, but snatches of
different
things which have happened,
those
which should be forgotten but
still
they cloud her many memories,
and
those about others by the powers
that
be, totally disregarding life
as it
should be lived by all.
Even
the deafening sound of the
thunder
cannot eradicate
these
thoughts, but rather intensify
them,
bringing them to the surface,
and
allowing the pain to again
engulf
her frame, causing it to
shudder
and her to cry out for
release.
This new place seems not to
offer
this as was desired but still
the
quest must always continue.
Suddenly
as it started the rain,
the
thunder, the lightening stop,
the
air is yet heavy but different
now,
heavy with thoughts and the
stream
of tears, flowing like the rivers,
tears
for others, for loss, for herself.
The rain
has endured the night, but
now
at daybreak, a double rainbow
arches
across the skies like the
spirits
planned things that way,
showing
a renewed hope for the day,
its
many pastel hues brightening
the
bright blue sky, yet clashing with
the
red rock of the canyon walls.
She
knows this now or seems to.
The
canyon in all its majesty
is there
for those who need it,
a respite
from the crazy world,
the
only place to let dreams fly
like
an eagle playing on the winds,
but
peacefully gliding through the air.
She
is up in the air with that eagle,
thoughts
soaring in every direction,
eyeing
the canyon down below,
all
its many nooks and crannies.
Soon
there is the sound of running
on the
flats, her arms outstretched.
hair
whipping behind her as she
continues
with careless abandon
jumping
over rocks that arise in
her
path, flying across the ground
in the
shadow of the eagle, racing,
having
no destination, no foe
except
maybe herself, her mind,
her
memories, now climbing up the path.
Still
under the shadow of the eagle,
she
races to keep up with it,
running
harder now as she ascends
the
path followed down the night before.
Forgotten
is the promise of the double rainbow.
If she
should lose sight of the eagle,
she
will be lost,
being unsure of her destiny.
Floating
over the winding trail
the
exit from the canyon is now imminent.
Where
did all this energy come from
after
a sleepless night spent in thought,
in prayer? But
then the eagle turns to soar
in
another direction as does she,
her
feet leaving the side of the winding trail,
a sheer
drop off one side, putting her
in mid
air, at first flying like the eagle,
resembling
another Icarus,
then
plunging to the canyon floor below,
still
under the shadow of the eagle,
but
now with no more sorrow,
no more
worries,
no more
pain,
to consume
her mind.
the
wolf is my messenger
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"We will
be known by the tracks
we leave behind."
Dakota Proverb
copyright ©
February 10, 2000, by Louve14
last revised 27 december 2002