Mount Baldy

4 AM wake up call,

glance up at the stars--

more than you knew existed--

now keep your eyes and head level,

The darkness still cloaks the landscape,

but towering trees and trembling tents make themselves known.

Finally, shift your eyes back up--

not all the way.

No shadow could shield this view.

The simple, jagged line framing the horizon.

This mass is your reason for waking,

and it will be the reason you sleep well tonight.