Campfire on the mountaintop
Flickering red/orange light
Highlighting hands reaching out
For warmth in this crisp dark
Tunnel that is the forest shroud
Trees looming in the limelight
Proscenium arch of pine and cedar
In the morning, dew dampens
Everything – except the white ash
Dancing from the lingering heat
And it all smells so smoky
The tent, the down bag, the pack,
The clothes, the boots, the parka,
The dirt under your fingernails,
The woolen hat
All so smoky.
©2009 Su Polo 3/30/09
