A misty dawn
and milk-sopped sun
rustle their feathers over a maw
of toothy peaks.
A light blue t-shirt
emblazoned with white
presses sticky against his
skin.
The weightiness
of soupy air
hangs heavy
damp.
Step by bleary-eyed step
his group snakes up and up
while the sky ladles generous
spoonfuls of syrup onto
each of their pulse-quickened
heads.
I ask him
Why?
Why come here?
Why relinquish these summer weeks?
(Alternatively, why grasp them?)
Why fly away
on youth’s innocent wing
From your family
community
city
country
To wind up at this moment
Here
Now?
Swells of fragrant froth bubble
up the sides of this secret trail
in the space between dewy leaves
And he has no answer
save the crack of a knowing smile
And the off-beaten mountain
Empathetic, gentle in that good morning
breathes right along with him.
Jake Marble 