On Fuji Mountain

08/14/05 for Patricia

A cool subtle breeze caresses you up here above

Waldo Lake far enough away from armies of mosquitoes.

The luminous silver cumulus clouds build

their regiments of a storm front over the southeast ridges

of the Three Sisters.

Silence fills the chatter inside your mind and a faint rumble

of thunder can be heard to the north

where a bolt of lightning flashes over the Twins.

To the west of Diamond Peak the clear serene sky scape expands

across the lower ranges of the foothills fading into a blue gray

three dimensional wash like a watercolor painting.

As you look over the other side a sheer granite cliff drops off

some five hundred feet below, reminding you to

watch your step in the loose shale and say a prayer.

Seven thousand and one hundred and forty four feet

above sea level on top of this summit

the wind spirit soothes your soul.

The place you came from far down below back in

the valley full of troubles and worries is a long way from

where you are now.

Up here beyond the edge of the forest you stretch your arms

out across the drifting clouds like a red tail hawk

and proclaim your freedom.