Dear Friends, I have simplified the true story of
the Grand Canyon of Arizona by leaving out the
plethora of scientific details, & the various theories
of scholars about its formation! Presenting here the
more popular version for your kind appreciation!
Therefore, I have used only a part of my Notes on
the subject. Kindly don’t forget to read Part Two
later, for the total story. No need to comment in
a hurry! Thanks, -Raj.

STORY OF THE GRAND CANYON IN
VERSE : PART ONE- BY RAJ NANDY

              BACKGROUND
Our unique planet earth on which we reside,
Remains restless and dynamic, which in its
bowels it hides!
Titanic forces have been at work since our planets
formation; (App. 4.5 billion years ago)
Tectonic plates collided shaping continents,
along with quakes and volcanic eruptions!
Mighty glaciers had formed and receded, while
forces of nature did shape,
When mighty Himalayas and the Rockies rose
up, as we see them on date!
Several species evolved and of multifarious kind,
Leaving a trail of geological mysteries behind!
Geologists have tried to figure out what caused
the rugged Rockies to rise,
From miles below the surface of the earth,
stretching across 3000 miles;
Across New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and
Montana, all the way up into North Canada;
To become the longest mountain chain of
North America!
The Geologists speculate that the heavier
Pacific Oceanic Plate, had moved northwest
under the North American Plate;
And as a result of this geological seduction
and embrace,
A split had opened up in the American West!
Such mountain building activity or ‘Orogeny’,
Had occurred in several phases during Earth’s
evolving history!
But mostly it occurred during the ‘Age of the
Dinosaurs’ in the Mesozoic Age,
Around 100 to 200 million years hence!
Now cutting across million years of Geological
History,
I come to the Colorado Plateau to commence
my Grand Canyon Story!

THE COLORADO PLATEAU
The awesome forces which raised the Rocky
Mountain Chains, also raised the Colorado
Plateau at a later time once again!
But during the Plateau’s gradual rise there was
surprisingly no devastation,
As the well preserved sedimentary layers rose
up with the Plateau without deformation!
Like an elevator traveling upwards this Plateau
gradually rose,
Along with its several embedded rock layers,
with which it was composed!
The Plateau is scattered over an area of some
1300,000 square mile as we know;
Going clockwise it covers Arizona, Utah, Colorado,
and the State of New Mexico!
Within this rugged area are located the Grand
Canyon, Grand Staircase, Bryce and Zion Canyon,
Arches, National Bridges, Monument Valley,
Glen Canyon, and Lake Powell.
It was Major John Wesley Powell a Geologist,
a brave solder and an explorer,
Who during the 19th century had mapped the
entire Grand Canyon area;
By sailing down the treacherous rapid infested
and uncharted Colorado River!
During the American Civil War Powell’s right
hand was amputated,
God bless his soul for the work he had initiated!
(The area from Bryce Canyon down to the Grand Canyon
is referred to as the ‘Grand Staircase’ due to the existing
land features!)

THE SOUTHERN RIM OF THE PLATEAU
Standing near the edge of more easily accessible
Southern Rim, one gets captivated by the sculptured
beauty and brilliant colors of sedimentary rock layers;
Which also captivated the imagination of tourists,
geologists, painters and explorers!
Geologists have opined, that till 80 million years, this
area was inundated by the Sea several times;
By dating the limestone and marine fossils on the
top Kaibab Limestone Layer they now find!
The lowest rock basement of this Plateau the
Vishnu Schist, dated as a third of our Earth’s
total age, still exists! (Dated as 1.5 billion years.)
Yet the dominant color of the layers of the
Canyon is of a reddish kind,
Due to iron deposits in the layers that we find!
Standing on the edge of the Southern Rim one
is struck by the grand panoramic view and its
macro immensity !
Gazing into a 1500 meter deep gorge carved into
nearby horizontal sedimentary rocks, - a stark
reality,
Where Man becomes aware of his own micro
fragility!
These layers were deposited 500 million years ago,
Prior to the elevation of the Colorado Plateau!
Viewing this testament to Nature’s magnificence,
Man loses himself for a while, to become transfixed
in space and time!
Though there are other deeper canyons in this
world we know, but none are more impressive
or grander;
So Major Powell named it the ‘Grand Canyon’,
which had also made him to wonder!

GRAND CANYON AND THE COLORADO RIVER
The Grand Canyon stretches from Lake Powell near
Utah-Arizona boarder right up to Lake Mead,
Is around 277 miles long with a max width of 18 miles,
and a max depth of around 6000 feet!
The Canyon proper is located in the northwestern
portion of Arizona, in the midst of the Grand Canyon
National Park,
Where the Colorado River bisects this Park into
Northern and Southern halves!
The Northern Rim is a 1000 feet higher and is ideal
for rafters, trekkers, and cliff climbers.
The better connected South Rim has around 5 million
visitors annually!
But the affluent few with lesser time, visit the glass-
bottom horseshoe shaped ‘Skywalk’ in the western
section, in Hualapai Indian Reservation territory!

             CONCLUDING PART ONE :
The question that intrigue Geologists and the visitors
alike, is how the Colorado River did shape,
The mighty Canyon through this great depth?
Before giving you the answer in Part Two
I must pause here to quote,
Lines from the poem “Grand Canyon” which
Lisa A Williams once wrote; -
“I look to the depths far, far below,
To crevices and caverns formed long ago.
To twisting trails, ledges steep,
Winding rivers with pools so deep! ..........
Cascades of color with each sunrise,
Golden walls with lavender hues,
Shades of pink and smoky blues.
Rainbows of stone, dance in fading light,
Lengthening shadows, with approaching
night . …………….
A brush in hand the painter can see,
The miracle of nature and all it can be.
Trying to capture the beauty of age,
Seems impossible with human gauge!
So much to take in, the eyes try to behold,
An ancient image of creation so bold.
Formed by ice and melting snow,
An artist’s canvas sketched long ago!”
-  by Lisa A Williams.

Dear readers, later in the second part of this
story,
I shall conclude by telling you how the
Colorado River in all its pristine glory,
Carved out this vast Canyon through million
years of our Earth’s History!
Part two will be posted later after a break
surely,
Thanks for reading patiently, from Raj Nandy
of New Delhi.
*ALL COPYRIGHTS ARE WITH THE AUTHOR ONLY

"Begin to work with the Net of Light,"* they say, "by thinking of a vast lighted fishing net spread over the earth and stretching into the distance, as far as your eyes can see. This is the great Net of Light that will support the earth and all life on this planet during the times of change that have come. The Net of Life covers the earth from above, it covers it from below, and it bisects the earth like a great grid-penetrating, holding, and touching everything. This is the Net of Light that will hold the earth while the energies of yin and yang shift. And they *will shift," the Grandmothers say; "the change has already begun.

     "Walk forward and take your place on the Net of Light. Somewhere where two of the strands come together forming an 'x' or a 't' is a place that will feel just right for you. Walk forward and take your place there. Here you can rest and allow the Net of Light to hold and support you while at the same time you support it.

     "We have many times told you that the Net of Light is lit by the jewel of the heart. This is true," the Grandmothers say. "Experience now as the radiant jewel of your own heart begins to open and broadcast its light along the strands of the Net. Every person who works with the Net of Light is linked in light with others who also work with it. Experience your union with people all over the glove who are now connected by the Net of Light. Some of them call it a Web of Light, some call it a lighted grid, some call it Indra's net, but whatever they call it, it is the same construct. This is the Net of Light that will hold the earth steady during these times of change that are upon you.

     "As you call on the Net and find your place on it," they say, "think of receiving and sending light throughout this vast network. And as you think this thought, instantly your energy will follow it, and you will feel the Net of Light working in you and through you.

     "Experience your union with us and with all those who work with us. There are thousands of you all over the earth. Also experience your union with the sacred and holy places on this planet and the sacred and holy beings that have come at this time to avert the catastrophe that looms over the earth-the great saints, sages and avatars that have come now and gladly give their lives in service. Experience your union also with those of good heart who seek the highest good for life on earth. Know and feel the power of this union and let your body experience this force of and for good.

     "Once you have strongly felt this power, begin to cast the Net of Light to those who do not know about it. Cast wherever there is suffering on earth," the say, "to human beings, to animals, to conditions of every kind, to all forms of life, and to Mother Earth herself. Cast also to people who are longing to serve, but have not yet found a way to access the Divine and as you cast the Net of Light, many who have until this moment been asleep to the fundamental connection we all share, will begin to awaken and feel the spark of divinity within themselves coming to life. Now ask the radiant Net of Light to hold all life in its embrace and know that each time you work like this, you are adding to the reach and power of the great Net.

     "Cast the Net to all women and men everywhere," they say. "Cast to the leaders of this world to remind them that they are a precious part of the Net of Light that holds and supports life. Cast to the animal kingdom, asking that every animal receive what it most needs. Cast to the plant kingdom and to the mineral kingdom as well. Cast to everything that lives," the Grandmothers say, **"and when you have done this, ask, 'May everyone in all the worlds be happy.'

Black lake reflects a trail of ivory plumes,
Cockatiel's alabaster tail of feathers.
Such loveliness can only be the moon's,
Which skinny-dips in lunar altogethers.

Raccoons catch fish along the shore,
Fastidious paws clutching their prizes.
She paddles her canoe with silent oar,
Observing nature's soft nocturne disguises.

Silhouetted loons rock low upon the waves,
Asleep till sunlight sets them to their songs.
Her wake bisects the path the moon engraves,
As wilderness whispers tranquilly she belongs.

She'll stay the night foregoing comfort fire,
Moonlight enough by which to pitch a tent.
And come tomorrow should anyone inquire,
No trace reveals her overnight encampment.

Sadly as it all comes to an end
somehow I wish to say the words I never said
somehow I wish I could say them now
it's time to take my breath away, take it with pride and bow!

Your insecurity is so cute yet so pathetic
it prevents you from seeing your perfection, so electromagnetic!
Every bit of you is time consuming
you see not how amazing you are, reassuring.

It seems lady luck is at her side
yet she can't seem to cherish the luxury of the tide
How I wish I were her for I will know what ought
caressing you with every single thought

No longer will you feel the need to search
for the desires will cease to exist once I begin to smirch
it will no longer be the beginning or the end
but it will linger in time as what we have cannot be hastened.

Perhaps what hinders this from occurring
is the fact that's its one sided and demurring
Never can thy lips of mine express thee
the words stumble and fumble, nervous I flee

Gathering courage is all but futile
no path can influence to void the inevitable, how vile!
it can never be, never can it be!
as this is the story of a love so tragic that befell on me.

It's degrading how you fail to see
the significance of this feeling to me
to you, it's but jester's words of entertainment
to me, it's my whole world you baffled and shaken, rattled with fulfillment!

Alas I can never deny
as much as I can't defy
the immense love and care I possess
that bisects the heavens above and crosses

Precise scaffold silhouette
slants sharply across smoothed
cement. Narrow shadow shaft bisects
unfinished window, points
toward glowing sunlit
sliver of grey wall. Mundane
beauty, workday
glory unwitnessed.

start with a doubt and a guilt and simmer. reflect at the angle that bisects oblivion…
but never come to terms with it. drink all the suns and mutter in the patter of  late nights grinding away
at the center of your lost boy.
keep yourself to your mosquitoes while you smokescreen your terrors with beautiful things
that pour out of you like all day things with glitter for mumps! you unhappy thing.
now you must stare at the wheel of an unbearable Sun. but you have no donuts
until you wake and make them suffer holes that you decorate with glaze
while glancing at the emptiness wrapped in empty calories
you’ll never dance-off.

somehow continue.

or not.

Blurred and twisted my world is shifted it's not the same

I'm off my flip, I feel cold like a coffins frame

my spaces change..and so do the faces names

All is engraved..still the same.. are features that have haunted ever since I was a minor...

What does he speak of is it really that minor?

I indoor spit quick metaphors heavy-ore then a cave of iron ore..pre-historically historical am a tech-dinosaur..

am kind of a connoisseur...I think of often more...and mostly for specifics..open doors to find the leak of crickets.

speak of what we eat I call it cheese and bisects...you must be getting jumpy I can hear the ribbit's

Mash up little snippets simple digits...words and phrases I'm a chemist chemically inclined, Mentally declined.

I think she needs space so I say read between the lines. Squeeze a lemon from a lie call it sit-trust..to double check please elect a witness.

Now get shocked like a hit stick...flipped with my mines thoughts that are clouds which pass then precipitate...rain drops fall down to participate in the puddle...

Instant is a rebuttal...quicker then space vacuums..or a blast from a space shuttle...hmm it's all subtle..suddenly coming by as if it were to apply to my simple human vibe.

Who is you...who am I? That is thee outstanding surprise, I speak to leap with a pride that wouldn't normally subside in my daily life...rarely I speak I just leak what I have inside.

If this catches your interest great..if not...well better luck next time...here take a glove..try to catch my next line_________

A plane flies next to the moon,
trailing condensation that bisects the sky,
the sun pushing away inferior stars
as it idly caresses the glowing pink horizon.
An unseen hand lifts the veil between night and day,
where heaven and earth melt into each other,
and in that place we dwell, our feet finding
a pathway through the spiraling galaxy.
Where the dark meets the light we exist.
A whole universe churns inside of us.
We are. We are enough.

High over
my Margate sandcastle

a swarm of German planes
alien mechanical bees

pregnant with bombs
to be

dropped on streets
I knew

( the neighbours aren't there
when I get back ).

My wild kick
decapitates my castle of sand

blue bucket and yellow *****
thrown to the waves

useless in
their frivolity.

Out in foreign climes
my brother is dying

bleeding to death
shot in the stomach

( so we will be told
many months from now ).

The sun shines bright
as a crazy crayon'd drawing.

The War impossibly
far far away

butterflies like
flying confetti.

The moment so
unbelievably beautiful.

I paddle this boat
up and down up&down;

this sun stupid shore
as over there in the somewhere

the real war roars
like a mythical beast

now no longer
phoney.

My battered bike
undignified up-side-down

I operating on
its slow puncture

pulling out its rubber gut
patching it up.

"There you go old chap!"
I comfort it.

I look through
its back wheel

the sun at its hub
beginning to go down.

I give it a spin
with my free hand

slowly it bisects the world
into its many spinning sections

faster...fasternow
and the world...this world

blurs into the white
nothingness of speed.

"So, that's what death is..?"
I think.

The world speeding up
to nothing.

The tip of my tongue
upon my cone

melting faster than I
can lick it

dropping upon
a sandled toe

with a deep nick
in it.

Unknown to me
as now

my brother has finished
his dying

becoming the memory
he will always forever

be.

His b&w; smile.

Alien mechanical bees
swarm inside my mind.

The tick-tick tick of
the bicycle

as I lift
my left leg

and...

it's all
downhill from here.

all the city’s a womb, a constant buzz,
a dim blue night that a river bisects.
you huddle
around the window
and gaze
at the faint traces of the sun
left in the sky’s retina.
midnight is just a suggestion
that lingers in the back
of your filament brain. the
wordless candle, its aura. ask
the dawn for a kiss.
the bed
is your doom. the night’s black
mist bleeds.

when the sun has regained some
confidence, its reach on the land
reestablished, its lucid eye alert,
you hide from its gaze. you cower
from the great daisy in the recesses
of inverted sleep; 6 in the morning
to 3 in the afternoon. rising out
of your slumber is like
challenging a rip tide,
only to find
the shore exposes
your naked body.