Ten.One Hundred & Twelve

1. 3:45 in the morning. Wide awake.

2. It’s 5:45 and I get dressed and head outside to catch the first light. 

3. The sound of my hiking shoes on the gravel. I am afraid of my own sounds. As I cross the little wooden bridge my eyes begin to fill with tears. 

4. It’s the silhouette of the cacti against the fading night sky. I find a rock and stand on it, breathing, listening, taking it all in.  

5. I climb up a little bit and turn around to face the mountains just as the light of the sun begins to illuminate the crests. I watch the earth come out of the shadows.  

6. Depending on the angle, the cacti can look like crosses. And indeed this land is holy.  

7. I want to learn all the names for the plants and animals I am encountering.  

8. I trust myself.  

9. Road runners.   

10. I needed this.