Shelter After Lauds

after Lauds when
first light touched
cliffs to the west
I rolled a stump

to the Chama River
to sit and pray
alone with just
blue bottle flies

and once the day
seemed certain
wary cattle wandered
past me like men

turned out of a shelter
robed in blankets and
dismayed by the light
and length of day

Chama Valley Daybreak – September 2018