Paradise Place

my back against granitic wall, the sky above azure blue

peace of thought, sun shining through my skin and bones

ants' antennae twitch, mesmerize my mind, 

their micro world at my feet 

the air we share is sweet, 

breathe in its stillness, pollution free,

no ozone baked from far in valleys low

my world i've escaped, one become with golden trout,

come to water's edge, they know not who or what i am

gentle swimming bubbling beings,

nymphs at play in idyllic world of pastel fantasy 

in this 10,000 foot enclave hidden, no footprint, 

no tale i will ever tell of the route mine alone, 

i forage food for thought, reminisce 

away from squalor, noisy place from whence i've come, 

for now i force my mind's refrain of going back,

focus on these friendly fish that stare at me as if i were their catch

few will come and climb this high and far

the pull of charms, colored pixeled screens 

will always mesmerize their schemes of work and play

while clouds, stream across my sky,

without a care i sit, my breathing slow, pulse in check

hours pass, i cannot move my new found paradise

as the light of sun turns dim, shadows growing ever long

the windy breeze rises strong,

ants have gone, the fish to greater depths

still i sit, 

a coming chill begins to bite my cheeks

i cannot move, 

one more night, the last before i sleep

i will not move until the cold forces me into folds of sleep

to the midnight sounds and scents,

carry me away, 

those higher peaks i have not time to reach

stars, some touch their rims, 

what might be upon their tops?

in the morning i'll call myself in sick,

take another day or two at 12,000' altitude