Heart Mountain

Wrote the diary of stones
The gaunt face, the stars
The mystery of destiny
Towering in silence, the barren waste
We gathered close, we hoped and dreamed
Imprisoned at the foot
One coal-burning stove
One light bulb per barrack
Shared the mess
Shared the latrine

The climb began innocuously
A gentle slope rising up
Through grasses and wildflowers
The ubiquitous Wyoming sagebrush
Much in evidence
As well as elk
A sacred place to the Crow people
A place of bleakness and prejudice
Rendered beautiful in the sunlight
With many babies born in the camp