August 28, 2022

Wyoming has spoken through the winds and the rain and now the honey bees.

Darkness is falling. The low trill of crickets surface through a break in these fierce winds.This plateau speaks to me nudging gently at first and these last few days more firmly. The tent lay flat much of the day, poles forced into awkward angles, and then remarkably were able to spring back into place during the lulls.

Stillness came, enough to light the stove to heat a pot of soup and warm my bathwater. A few honey bees took interest in the body wash I was using in my hair and on my wash cloth. They were around my ankles, in my hair and on my back. I danced around them completing this task as their numbers grew. Fifty, seventy-five..they seemed starved for nectar in this barren land.

A swarm, it seemed, was gathering around me, calm but persistent. Nervous and fluid in my movements, I rinsed away the scented suds...dancing all the while to keep them from settling on my skin. Quickly, I dashed to the wavering tent as the skies were growing dark. Ominous clouds had gathered in the distance and were approaching when I ducked inside. Somehow i managed to outsmart a few stragglers that were buzzing around my heels. It happened so fast. I was inside.The rain was falling hard and the wind whipped. I held the poles out with both arms to lessen the stress. Fifteen minutes of turmoil wreaking havoc after the trials of my bath, and then the hush...a dramatic shift.

The sun came out these last few moments before it was to set down behind these grand formations for the night. Faint sprinkles tapped the fly above my head. I emerged slowly, wary of the bees.

If this were a film, the aria would have swelled into a crescendo. I felt like I was tripping. I was out there naked taking pictures of rainbows. Skinny dipping in the air with arched prisms while the wind kissed my skin.This was the offering for the wild ride i had endured. I could almost touch it, be a part of it. Never in all of these decades had i seen such a brilliant marvel from the sky. If only I could bolt carefree to the tip of this wonder, I too could be illuminated.