POEM - Havasupai

I.

The morning came early

On the road out of Phoenix

Heading north in groggy darkness

Crammed to full in a 12 passenger van

That was not made for comfort

I had talked Keith and Dave into coming

Though they didn’t need much

We only pulled a spot every few years

Heading down into the canyon

Was an opportunity you took

Whenever you had the chance

As lonely as I-17 was pre-dawn

Interstate 40 was a ghost road

Built on the rubble of Route 66

The old road still popped up

As we turned off  I-40 in Seligman

The sun was still young

When we made the parking lot

Stood on the edge of the canyon

Looked down at the switchbacks

Felt the breeze rush out of the canyon

An easy path down to the floor

That would be the final torture

When we dragged ourselves out

Three days and many memories later

II.

Dad invited me to join the hike

It had been a year since his surgery

He was doing well and felt good

This was his return to real hiking

His last big effort was Picacho Peak

Just a week before he got detained

Stuck in the hospital for a bypass

I took my pack over the night before

I had packed very light

My recent hikes had been educational

I’d taken useless items

            And paid the price each time

I wanted to enjoy this hike

What I paid the price for this time

Was a failure to communicate

Not on my part, but with my father

He was still not 100%

Thought it might be taxing on him

To carry a full pack the whole way

So I carried his excess burdens

Which I discovered at the bottom

After ten miles and two blisters

The size of half-dollars

Chunked out of both heels

III.

The canyon was beyond gorgeous

My busted up feet and weary back

Disappeared in the clear turquoise waters

The peace of languishing in nature

For two full days of exploring

By the night of the 2nd day

Some of the kids were done

They wanted to hike out at night

Sleep in the car instead of on dirt

Keith and I went along

Volunteered to prevent a tragedy

Ended up only getting lost once

Made it nearly all the way out

Before the night and exhaustion won

Gave up and slept on a huge flat rock

Six body bags in a row

Zipped up over our heads

To thwart the incessant mosquitos

That whispered discouragement

In ceaseless mocking buzzes