Shadows of the Mesa

buttes of meaning
linger on today
the visionaries seek

shadows move
on the canyon floor
across arroyos
slide upon buttes
down the faces of the mesa

as night fades
into days first dawning
we still hear
voices of ghosts
dead long ago
ancient shadows
whispering into a soft breeze

the starlight is moving
away leaving
shadows to hide in sage brush
to escape the moon
to creep all around us

the vast desert scape
red rock glistens
as an orange hue appears
turning red
as the sun peeks
over Chimney Rock
as the shadows slide and slink

a pink glow
upon the mountains
that face us
walking along a rocky slope
watching

faces on the mesa
shadows forming
faces up and over
sliding, hiding
from the coming sunrise

shadows of the mesa
overlooking the vastness
this influence of earth

(c) Dale Clark