Poem by Andre F. Peltier
Aqua-marine spray paint on weathered ply-wood: “DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS, NEXT LEFT.” Not knowing what to expect, we signaled, pulled into the gravel lot, and stepped out to the blast furnace of June in northern Arizona. Under an awning, folding tables filled with turquoise rings, necklaces, bracelets, all for sale. Local mothers keeping food on the table and love in their hearts: “You guys want a tour?” a young woman asked. There was a crumpled five in my pocket, I handed it to her, and we set out across hardened Jurassic mud. “Here, dilophosaurus, they probably didn’t actually spit venom like in the movie, and there, our state dinosaur, sonorasaurus. You can tell its giant gate by measuring one print to the next.” As we walked back in time, 200 million years to when that shallow sea covered the Moenkopi flats, as we stepped back in time to witness the pinnacle of 19th Century Navajo freedom, we sipped our bottled water and munched week-old trail mix from out our shiny new REI backpack. “And here,” she said, spilling her water at our feet to highlight the indentations, “you’re standing in the print of a T. Rex.” 70 million years of wind, rain, erosion, and there we stood. We thanked her, wished her luck, and headed out. We had to make Kayenta for those 1:00 PM fry bread tacos and our lunch date at a laundromat.
Andre F. Peltier is a Pushcart and two time Best of the Net nominated poet and a Lecturer III at Eastern Michigan University. His poetry has recently appeared in various publications both online and in print. His poetry collections Poplandia and Ambassador Bridge are available from Alien Buddha Press.
