Annie's Creek Canyon

Morning quiet:
the smell of campfires wafts upon
the slightest morning breeze
through dew-clad pine and fir.
Flashes of dusty blue, as
Stellar Jays complain, while
Annie's Creek chuckles at our feet.
Footsteps soft on pumice path
frequently wet by springs.
A startled Blacktail Deer
bolts up the slope.
Gossamer wings of dragonflies
glitter, ascending shafts of light,
a reverent susurration among the trees.
Wildflowers clothe grassy slopes
with lavender, white and blue.
Sphincter moths
chase among the blossoms,
sipping nectar on hovering wing.
A syncopated babble echoes
from a solid pumice wall
as we ascend the switch-back exit,
leaving behind two full hours
of tangible peace.

Dallas D'Angelo-Gary 98