The Same Sky

On a moonless night,
   A jeweled sky thick with constellations,
Crowns the Eastern Sierra.
Peering into the darkness
I wonder, "Is this the same sky?"

Clouds of gray and white,
    Shadow and light,
Like atomic plumes flung skyward,
Kiss the blue and drape the peaks, 
And still I ask, "Is this the same sky?"

A blazing morning sun drenches 
    Scented sage and pine.
A still, azure plain stretches flat and clear
Above Inyo Mountains and high desert valleys.
In my eyes, "Is this still the same sky?"

Can anyone say:
    Before the Spanish missionaries;
    Before the buffalo and grizzly bears;
    Before the rush to riches and water wars;
    Before Muir and Adams;
    Before asphalt ribbons and all-terrain...
"Is this the same sky?"

Barbara L. Steinberg
Tom’s Place, CA 
July 27, 2003