Written by Kevin Stuart Brodie
A few miles outside Taos, New Mexico
the Rio Grande Gorge cuts
through layers of sediment and basalt.
Not quite high enough to reach the heavens,
a bridge puts the two-hundred-meter drop
directly beneath your feet.
Cumulus castellanus
arc just above eye level,
but gazing down at the river
it is difficult to tell
if the water reflects the clouds
or the sky mirrors the water.
Tourists populate the west
end of the highway-
they much on churros, gulp sodas,
devour fry bread.
Herding themselves to the north
side of the bridge, they take in
the distant splendor of the
Sangre de Cristo mountain range.
At the very least, they try to find
a great selfie spot.
On the south side of the bridge
there are no tourists, no spilled drinks,
no viewfinders.
There are instead hundreds
of black ribbons tied to the parapet,
each with a name and age
scrawled in gray sharpie-
Sandra Santiago, 17
Rueben Gallego, 21
Maria Crow Horse, 16
Goldenstar, 14
Unknown, 25.
Unknown?
I cannot help but wonder
if the gorge rushed up and
maimed her body
with such violence
that the detective decided
to just give up.
Or, maybe no one claimed her
because she knew that
the void left behind
would be visible to no one.
Text © Kevin Stuart Brodie
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Thank you!
I am very glad you thought so!
Interesting poem.