They stand like individuals,
their heads in the clouds,
and sometimes they have faces,
eye-hole caves and cliffs that
look like ears from a distance.
Mountains are landmarks for everyone.

But a long time ago, back east,
the woodlands were flourishing
everywhere and whole generations
passed who never saw the open sky.
The trees themselves seemed to be
wicked and life was short and ugly
under their long, bloated shadows.
There was almost nothing to eat
because the trees took all the light
and people got lost all the time...

How wonderful it must have been
for them to see the sky like this,
amazed by far-sighted distance and
standing alone on some high ledge
of rock, with powerful legs
and confident feet, to defy
gravity itself and constantly deny
the insistent urge to fly...

They stand like individuals.

They stand like individuals.

They stand like individuals.

01/19/2008