On an atypically warm Antelope Valley morning,

the llamas blink a declaration of hunger at me

 

I walk down the dusty, winding trail

surrounded by mountains that remind me of my great inconsequence

 

It’s Thanksgiving and my dog’s eyes brim with unflinching love

as she accompanies me, untethered, down the path

 

I’m beholden – we all are – every single one of us,

to those who have embraced us and to those who have pushed us away