You told me
your friend lives nearby.
You meant
eight hours away on gravel roads
through forests and jagged peaks,
crossing creeks and rugged canyons
on narrow wooden bridges,
encountering a grizzly or two
and next service 366 km.
Welcome to the Yukon!
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
