Views From Above

This is part of a writing project I am doing called 12 Months in Yosemite.

Starting in November 2016, I am traveling to Yosemite once a month and writing a poem that explores the changing seasons, people and scenery of my favorite national park. By visiting every month I hope to see Yosemite in a new light and to catch the park unguarded.

Views From Above

Washington Column, November 2016

I hang on rope like spider’s silk,

listening to the calls of climbers

swinging across half dome’s lap.

The giant’s shadow surveys the valley —

like a night watchman’s eye,

and signals when the day is over.

Trees run through canyons — down ridges,

over ledges, but from above —

the behemoths are little green triangles.

What does Yosemite look like from space?

Towers reduced to atoms, people to corks,

and planets all around — bigger than this.