A Canyon So Grand
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The torrid Arizona sun heats my neck, while my soul
basks in the majesty of the warm rock below. A small sea of air
reveals layers of earth from lifetimes ago. What eyes don’t remember
and a photograph can’t capture makes the canyon surrounding
me appear unreal and supernatural.
A trail scarred by the clench of metal cleats and poles guides
me through mother nature’s finest work. Millions of years of sculpting
has proved every second and still a work in progress!
As the cultured dust under my boots changes from a rusty red powder
to a sand finer than flour, the desert makes up for the dry death
above. Indian springs feed an ecosystem walled off
from a world of compromised purity.
At night, the brilliant sky above and the tranquil sound of a stream nearby lull
me to sleep after the long journey. An attempt to count every gleaming star
would be disrupted by the morning sun rising over the rim. A hike to the bottom
is the only way to appreciate a canyon so grand.
Joe Hutchinson, 2014