Trail

by Sophia Cabana

Listen, girl!

This here trail was made by God himself, they say,

dug into the earth the way my old man used to dig his axe into a log,

and I’d be damned to know what that must’ve looked like,

back when God dug a trail through these here mountains. 

Listen, girl!

You say your mama told you about mountains she can’t even remember,

but you ain’t gotta miss those old mountains in your blood,

‘cause we’ve got plenty of mountains in America, too!

Listen, girl!

Now, now, calm down.  You say you wanna dig some trails of your own, now?

Only gods can carve the shapes of mountains, so there’s no point in you tryin’.

What makes you wanna waste your pretty little hands n’ your pretty little face like that?

Listen, girl!

I’d like you more if you put that damn shovel down.