Being on a hill above the prairie means that I see far more
Sky than land. At times, that starts to bother me. I miss
The soaring, craggy mountains, veined with snow and wrapped
With forests, valleys bearing raging rivers, passing into
Shadows long before the sun has slid away. But, other times,
I like the prairie's openness, its emptiness. There's nothing
Here to make me feel confined, the way I often did beneath
The mountains, hemmed in by unending stands of light-
Repelling trees.