I Climbed a Mountain Down into the Earth

 I Climbed a Mountain Down into the Earth

I climbed a mountain down into the Earth,

An iconic abyss of which there’s no dearth

Of rock, and cactus, and heat.

I brought little but water, for water is life,

And the canyon’s history is riddled and rife

With stories of death by thirst.

Lower and lower through layers of stone,

I descended through the Earth’s very bones,

And finally reached the river.

The river was green not with muck but with minerals,

Roaring and pouring through an opening quite minimal,

Yet found there a quiet eddy.

I jumped in to cool off without hesitation,

Though some would view this with trepidation,

As close as I was to the green whitewater.

The cool water refreshed me for the real mountain climb,

Up the canyon wall taking my time,

For by then it was in the high 80’s.

On the way up I met a mule train descending.

They owned the road, these beasts of burden,

So I ducked into a rock opening.

Finally I reached the top of the canyon, the Canyon known as Grand.

There to meet me was not a brass band,

But, much better, my wife, my love, my Grand Dame.