The air is black when I unzip my tent
I step quietly on wet moss
into early morning mist
Into a world as still as stars.
The river reaches through the canyon
Deep red slides slowly into pink
And mixes with hues of blue.
At the water’s edge,
I breathe in pine needles
and the soft cedar bark
My kayak rests
belly up
I pack the inside with a light load
And wade into shimmering shallows
I push off hoping to beat the wind and ease into the glide
Gentle waves knock the bow
I float to the center
The shore fades away
Orange sky meets wide water blue
in a collision of color and light
The only sound is the oar dipping
And my breath
| Leigh Banner is a seventeen-year-old student at The Spence School and lives in New York City |