welcome to the haikutimes
Issue #24, Canyonlands, Island in the Sky, and Arches, Utah, Maarch 25-29, 2002. The Pack Creek Ranch was our base. Haiku and photographs by Jonathan Machen.
boulder, ten-fifteen
ice on highway ninety-three
we head for utah
deep relaxation
comes with the unfettered view
the desert in spring
wanting to go on
or stay and do a drawing
my big dilemma
my sense of purpose
dissolves into the timeless
erosion of rock
this well-used bike path
obliterating the fine
cryptogramic soil
absolute silence
until the four-stroke engine
penetrates the air
people on their bikes
in the middle of nowhere
i can hear them yell
who knows what damage
the many thousands of jeeps
have on the desert?
an icy march wind
disrupts spring tranquility
i long for my coat
bmx rider
blows by me with his air shocks
like i'm standing still
this sandstone kingdom
began life at the bottom
of an ancient lake
complete exhaustion
is my ultimate reward
for climbing this peak
for a brief moment
i entertain the notion
that i might be lost
above the plateau
i find winter solitude
white, instead of red
nothing but the rocks
and the sky to remind me
of my place on earth
waiting for the rain
and the waxing of the moon
to burst into bloom
difficult to tell
what is near and what is far
island in the sky
cannot comprehend
evolution of arches
with my perspective
their voices echo
an unfamiliar tongue:
torists from japan
not without distrust
they keep their new mercedes
hidden from our view
vibrant orange lichen
lit in a neon circle
against the sandstone
the jeep jamboree
brings to the vale of moab
a million jeeps
absolute silence
except for the erosion
of millennia
everything at rest
except for the slow churning
of plate tectonics
geologists know
plenty of obscure details
that i gloss over
a chance to explore
and hang out with the family
good combination
she had a meltdown
a complete, utter meltdown
because of scissors
long since recovered
from the tears of the morning
she helps grandma bake
boulder, ten-fifteen
ice on highway ninety-three
we head for utah
deep relaxation
comes with the unfettered view
the desert in spring
wanting to go on
or stay and do a drawing
my big dilemma
my sense of purpose
dissolves into the timeless
erosion of rock
this well-used bike path
obliterating the fine
cryptogramic soil
absolute silence
until the four-stroke engine
penetrates the air
people on their bikes
in the middle of nowhere
i can hear them yell
who knows what damage
the many thousands of jeeps
have on the desert?
an icy march wind
disrupts spring tranquility
i long for my coat
bmx rider
blows by me with his air shocks
like i'm standing still
this sandstone kingdom
began life at the bottom
of an ancient lake
complete exhaustion
is my ultimate reward
for climbing this peak
for a brief moment
i entertain the notion
that i might be lost
above the plateau
i find winter solitude
white, instead of red
nothing but the rocks
and the sky to remind me
of my place on earth
waiting for the rain
and the waxing of the moon
to burst into bloom
difficult to tell
what is near and what is far
island in the sky
cannot comprehend
evolution of arches
with my perspective
their voices echo
an unfamiliar tongue:
torists from japan
not without distrust
they keep their new mercedes
hidden from our view
vibrant orange lichen
lit in a neon circle
against the sandstone
the jeep jamboree
brings to the vale of moab
a million jeeps
absolute silence
except for the erosion
of millennia
everything at rest
except for the slow churning
of plate tectonics
geologists know
plenty of obscure details
that i gloss over
a chance to explore
and hang out with the family
good combination
she had a meltdown
a complete, utter meltdown
because of scissors
long since recovered
from the tears of the morning
she helps grandma bake
solo/group kukai
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen