I feel like Powel;
I feel like Bridger;
I feel like Muir;
exploring your body and mind,
trapping your thoughts,
trading them with Indians;
preserving your beauty yes,
and your wildness;
there’s something about the West,
something about you,
drawing me in;
when it loses its wildness, it’s still dry
and if you lose your beauty,
you’ll still have your roughness;
It’s best when I have you both,
all to myself;
just you, me, coyotes singing and gentle desert stillness;
I fell in love with you both,
together,
and if one of you fails me,
I’ll have the other,
to remind;
so, if one day you leave,
the desert is only getting bigger
and there’ll be no way to unlove you.
**Poem may not be in the author's intended formatting.