Zion National Park

My mom is right behind me
Covered in dirt, sweat, and sand
Like the rest of us, just waiting for the demand
Of hunger to take our hand.

We walk, single file, in front of the other
Watching the dust kick up from our boots’ leather
Together, we make our ascent
Knowing full well when we come back, we’ll be spent.

The sky turns to a musky red
And all of my bones feel like they’ve turned led
But still, our small family of four, we keep going
And I wonder how my sore legs keep rolling

It’s just one bend, just one corner
But when we round it, the world feels colder
I understand now what had to be done
Because looking out, I see all of the sun

“Zion National Park; peaks” one sign reads
And another to carefully watch for your toddlers
And our family cheers in silence, our smiles like little seeds
Growing something in each other.

We turn our heads to the silent arches
The angels of stone, and the spaces that part them
The sun sets on them, shifting each and every rock
And finally, we rest, watching the light hide behind the world I had dreamt.