Walking down the canyon,
I'm hiking back in time;
when waters carved the notches,
in a different, ageless clime.

When dinosaurs were here,
when great fish swam the deep;
when time - it wasn't measured,
and was not a thing to keep.

When lava flowed like honey,
and volcanos shook the earth;
as creatures climbed and crawled,
evolving with each birth.

Now, I see the remnants,
of that distant other time;
when life began with fire,
as we struggled through the slime.

I tread the river's edge,
a mile below the rim;
breathe in the coming night,
as the sun begins to dim.

The canyon's vast and lovely,
too much to put in words;
instead, I listen quietly,
to sounds I never heard.