The dogs are barking.
Sagebrush, dust and the scent of smoke mix in my mouth.
I exhale, dispelling the sensation in a puff of steam.
What (exactly) is this?

A pulse of anticipation.
Something is moving out there.

To the right, the house is only a collection of windows,
Missing cards, scattered and bright against the dark.
To the left, the horizon is fading into the hulking mass of the cascades.
The contrast comes ever clearer

Maybe I should go inside
And be enveloped by the warmth and sweet tastes.

Maybe I should linger
The juxtaposition of stiff fingers and burning muscles is
-Delicious
Delightful-

And the pull of adventure,
Shadows darting in the orchard and a susurrus rising in the rock buttes
I can still feel it pulling
-Tugging
Yanking
Dragging-
Me onward.

The dogs are barking,
Sagebrush, dust, and the scent of smoke mix in my mouth.
I exhale, dispelling the sensation in a puff of steam.
What (exactly) is this?

A pulse of anticipation.
Something is moving out there.