PETROGLYPHS TO THE SUN, PAROWAN GAP

PETROGLYPHS TO THE SUN, PAROWAN GAP

The snake seeks the sun

crawling to the sky, a ladder

for the small spider gods

and the continuation of day.

Equinox. Sun and moon

and the trail to the sky is open

to the orbital continuation of days.

Amid the debris of the 20th century,

I am looking for the symmetry of worked stone,

finding only crystalline structures

in the desert varnish, the exposed marble,

the crushed hearts of riverstones,

and other signs of ancient oceans.

What of those concentric circles

with an upraised hand?

The beseeching of water, the labyrinth?

Is it the snake or lightning

that climbs up the rocks to the sky?

Hands at the end of the path to guide us—

At the four corners, an intersection.

The division of power—a circle and a cross.

At least the wind knows its own strength.

We are gathering rocks for those who will follow

the small hidden selves—

I am looking for symptoms of earlier cultures

than the amber glass, cans & cigarette butts

that will survive us.

9/21/93 Parowan Gap, Utah

1994 Steelhead Special

MYTHICS

MYTHICS

Dendridic clouds, juniper, yarrow & aster.

Yesterday’s pronghorn and road signs glow

amber and red as if lit from within.

Turquoise and jade greet the sunset—

I gather cedar and sage for smudge sticks.

The power lines, ancient symbols of man

carry electricity west. Equinox.

We are eclipsed by technology,

and the urgency of fall light.

Amid the rows of new-mown alfalfa

a tumbleweed gallops to the horizon.

We talk of horses, Sinead O’Connor sings,

England’s not the mythical land 

of Madam Georgian roses…

We pass a hogan—earth household.

A meadowlark collides with the car,

death on the wing, by the roadside,

wild cotton, bluebirds weaving the air.

9/21/93  Parowan Gap, Utah