Cyndi Lloyd
Nine Mile Canyon
In Castle Country Utah, our Jeep kicks up dirt through the sagebrush-covered foothills of the Book Cliffs. Utes and pioneers used this canyon, but before them this area was home to the prehistoric Fremont culture. While my husband and I stop at various sites for viewing—the landscape, an old homesteader cabin, granaries—our main reason for touring the canyon is to see rock art and the remains of a dwelling.
The famous panel, “The Great Hunt,” contains dull, yellowish-brown petroglyphs depicting a spread of rams, ewes, even lambs. Off to the side, three figures hold bows and arrows. Another figure, with a trapezoidal human body and bucket-shaped head with horns, stands above the bighorn sheep. “Do you think this really is a hunting scene?” I turn to Craig, and he says, “Yeah, because the bow and arrow people seem to be aiming at the sheep.”
“But what about these other figures holding shields and the one wielding an atlatl? Isn’t it possible they’re trying to stop the bow and arrow people from killing their sheep?” I ask, and Craig answers, “Maybe.” I’m left wondering: Is the horned person a spiritual being watching over the flock?
spiral symbols— the stories we keep telling
We ascend a short trail to a ridge. Large rocks form a square without walls—the remains of a pithouse. Grasses and brush fill the center and grow in between the rocks. I step inside and say, “If there was a firebasin, it’s long gone.” Craig snaps pictures of me, and I continue talking: “Maybe this was a temporary home, just a stopping point through this harsh environment to get to somewhere else.”
slide-pushed dirt from a snake— life's ways
About the Author
Cyndi Lloyd’s haikai poems appear in worldwide publications and anthologies. She volunteers as a moderator on the Inkstone Poetry Forum. Life in Utah, with her husband and dog, affords her the bountiful pleasures of different Naturescapes, as well as hiking, exploring, and taking photographs.