Grand Canyon Haiku by Alexi Kimiatek

Grand Canyon Haiku by Alexi Kimiatek

 

Writing poetry on a river trip is a wonderful way to stay present and notice all of the beauty and little miracles in the Canyon.

One of our recent guests, Alexi Kimiatek, wrote an astonishing 131 haiku on his river trip! We’ve selected some to share with you. It’s amazing how three lines can encapsulate an experience and flood you with memories. (Also, did you know the plural of haiku is haiku?!)

 

 

August 30- prep day

bag for the river

one week with water and sand

what will I forget?

we practice writing

counting fingers flickering

haiku I force you

 

 

August 31- Flagstaff to Lee’s Ferry

desert orchard jaunt

yellow warbler, acid pears

searing solar stares

 

cliffs of vermillion

stars afar in the trillions

we just drift along

 

 

September 1- Launch Day: Lee’s to 24mi

five sheep river’s edge

thicket thick with tamarisk

they became the rock

 

aimlessly drifting

fast river swirling churning

sunlight burning blue

 

 

September 2- Twenty-four mile to Nankoweap

Blue skies reflect

mercurial, opalescent and orange

breakfast bats flutter

 

beach under alcove

datura grove thrives purple

silver silhouette

 

September 3-  Nankoweap to Bright Angel

the shape and colors

of rocks, golden silty spray

baccharis with grace

 

cloud woman face down

electric blue above the

scorched granite walls

 

September 4- Bright Angel to Explorers Monument

clouds of silt well up

swirl against a wall of cold

clear river water

 

white trumpets of night

salute dawn with purple bells

a canyon wren chips

 

September 5- Explorers Monument to Kanab Creek

coffee sand water

bacon grease and Baccharis

a great blue heron

 

dull roar of churning

water constricted, explodes

imminent wetness

 

fly just bit my toe

fly bit my knee, my ankle

fly just bit the dust

 

 

September 6- Kanab Creek to Whitmore Wash

Mt. Sinyella looms

redwall amphitheater

feeds datura, dreams

 

so many voices

in the blue green water speak

I could hear your voice

 

worms of lava squirm

down bulges scoured hillside

baked in the furnace

 

September 7- Whitmore wash to Pearce Ferry

mud stains mark high times

bathtub ring to remind us

of the higher flows

 

dimpled black boulders

of lava slowly gently

cascading river bound

 

condor cliffs long sun

days and sunsets orange like

life vests, drybags, rafts

 

the trail is in your mind

let your body explore its

relationship with nature

 

Book your Hatch river trip today, and get those creative juices flowing!