Search for me not in my old familiar places,

I’ve fled this mild desk of shifting papers and familiar things.

Through an open window and down a long winding road,

Have I gone to look for that which man cannot create.

I’ve descended a gradual incline,

Into a mineral bath of cut and glistening gems.

Upon a path that leads me into living rock,

As if I walk into a petrified furnace.

There you will find me,

Wandering among the hoodoos.

Listening to the wind sing between each gap,

Shifting with the trees so tall they brush the sky.

Here I will find myself rooted to a spot,

As the earth grows around me.

I exist in silence of each watching hoodoo,

Waiting for my own bones to solidify.

Let me become a sentinel standing,

As tears of Mother Earth course down my face.

That I may become grooved as a weathered juniper,

And be one with these peaceful parts.

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Author’s note: I took a walk through Bryce Canyon National Park last month with my family. It was more than I could have ever hoped for. Such beauty, such peace, such nature. I highly recommend it.

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Michael is a husband, father, writer, poet, and aspiring author. He finds time to scribble down his thoughts in the dead of night, between ghosts and night owls. If you’d like to read more of his poetry follow the link here. Or to visit his full blog, ‘The Ink Owl’ click here.