Rockfall

Leaflet, "Mass Waste Palo Duro 2002"

Sometimes “out” means “in,” as in
when I say “I’m going out” but I’m
really going deep into these strata.
No, I’m not a fan of caving—those
dark ammoniac places where every
skittering is magnified sideways in
white wild eyes, nervous laughter.
Give me an opening, places whose
layers are sheared off—scree, talus
massed below every new rockfall—
that’s where I’m going, where the
cuts are fresh and where what’s laid
bare’s laid close enough to us to see.