Sleepout
Awakening in darkness
I’m welcomed by the night
To a resplendent roofless hall
Too grand for my poor sight.
The handle of the dipper
Goes swiveling overhead
A warm wind gusts across my face
And grasses sweep my bed.
The silence of the valley
Breaks with a coyote’s sound
That’s followed by responses
From all the hills around.
The stars look down from heaven
The owl gives a hoot
The earth supports my body
My pillow is my boot.
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(originally appeared in Cal Poly Land: A Field Guide, sketch by Anna Chaffin)