Craters of the Moon
My ground is fragile,
take feathered steps
and walk among my grotesque beauty.
Do not stomp,
for I will shatter
into blue metallic shards of defense.
Let me disillusion you,
trap you in my fancied strength
that crumbles into ebon caverns below.
Embrace me,
if you can,
the black rippling rock painted in the colored complexity of my soul.
And I will smile
as you plant for me
the purple flowers of your hope.
(June 23, 1999)
(written after a visit to the National Monument,. . . .and. . . .an insightful conversation with a friend).