The fire ring steams in the swath of dawn
Seeping into the canyon above the breaks.
In an endless flood everything comes down these fragile walls.
The voices are calling high above the rimrock
a few thousand feet up till the plateau.
Shuttering steps up the face in rock red as Mars
Sliding and gasping intwined in a body wide revolt
Of shale and its propensity to disengage constantly.
The voices are calling
Throwing themselves against the rocks
Bouncing from everywhere to meet me
Taunting, trickling my adrenaline deeper
Faster
Climbing to the horizon unbroken
Scattergun shouldered
Dog frozen in an invisible trance
The footfalls quicken
The distance removed
The voices still calling
Across the canyon
A thousand feet across
A thousand miles away.
