Cardinal Directions

Far below me, the valley, 

a sage desert, and the pipeline 

spiriting away what little rain 

falls here straight south to L.A. 

Further east, Death Valley.

To the north, wildfires 

staining the sky, orange light 

and delicate ash. To the west,

the backcountry through 

which I came.

Here, on the summit,

overlooking all of this, 

someone has thought 

to build a hut, a refuge 

from the wilderness, built 

from stone and wood, built 

from the wilderness itself.

The registry at the door, 

the prayer flags, the graffiti

on the walls, however, 

have turned the wilderness 

into something more

domestic, more like 

a shrine, too much like 

an urban temple.

Leeward of the hut,

a tattered sparrow

begging for crumbs,

perfectly at home 

here in this wilderness,

perches on my knee.

[LSS, 10/24/20]