The Canyon and The Pilgrim 

The storied walls
pens mysteries deep
 pilgrims heed  calls
come-- trod and seek

This place on earth
A great source of peace
 the pilgrim feels worth
  hope and relief

With  solitude so great
The raven's wing screams
The pilgrim sets stakes
In canyon caused dreams

The canyon flint
The pilgrim steele
The energy spent
The memory reels

In the pilgrim's quest
 wisdom arrives late
 The poet at best
 Must yield to fate

The secrets to keep
Are not mineral bound
Not stream-bed steeped
Not wind-blown down

The senses mass
With rhythm and rhyme
The pilgrim is cast
In proper place and time

The canyon does work
As it has for ages
Let the pilgrims not shirk
their duty to the sages

Pass on the canyon

John Downing
5/03