Read A Kachina Dance for Free Online

this on my bike.”
    “But then you didn ’t have me sitting behind you.” I laugh.
    “We’ll manage.”
    We leave the steamy apartment and head o ut into the sultry desert air. The metal of the red bike is fiery so I sit ca refully holding tightly to Jay. Once we begin moving the searing heat is fanned by th e motion of the bike . The street is clamoring with commuters but soo n we escape to the highway . Out of the rese rvation we stop at a grocery store for some cold beers. We leav e the noise and grunge of progress behind as Jay guns the engine and we turn onto a country road . I laugh to myself at the irony of leaving civilization on a bike that w ill disrupt nature, too.
    The smell of the pines assaults the nose most pleasantly as we climb steadily. T he fir boughs block the sun giving us a shady lane to meander. J ay slows the bike so w e can relish the cool Pinion pine forest around us . I lean my chin on Jay’s shoulder and he squeezes my hand at his waist. In a clearing we overlook the canyon below as it dances in dazzling magenta hues. We climb higher and the air feels purer, cooler , lighter . The mostly rough and only partly paved road curves a round as we ascend . T he butt e that we are scaling rises vertically about 2,000 feet . A bruptly the road narrow s into a one lane dirt pass that snakes back and forth as we head to the pinnacle . I pray we don’t meet a car coming in the opposite direction. I look down and see how perilously close we are to the edge of the cliff.
    Jay turns with ease on to what looks like an old foot trail that is rocky and covered with weeds. The bike ’s tires raise sandy clouds of dust beneath the treads and weeds catch on our jeans. The dry seed pods standing along our path burst in the wind, flinging the ripe contents into the air like confetti . The engine chokes from the stress o f the weed covered passageway. A thorny vine whips at us and tears the skin on my hand. It stings but I dare not look at it now. My hands stay firm on Jay’s waist. The height is dizzying. The ride is frightening . Y et it’s exhilarating!
    Carefully Jay turn s to the right and heads to a lone pine near a rock out - crop ping and shuts off the engine. Without a word h e he lps me off the bike and leads me to the edge of the cliff. The pano rama before me is breathtaking. I try to say something but I can’t. I look at Jay and he gives me his little smile and puts his arms around me.
    “I felt the sa me way when I found this place. There are no words if it speaks to you.” He smiles his little smile again .
    I lean my head against him and feel a shiver. W hen I do find my voice, I say , “ Jay , this is paradise … it is magnificent. Unless you are here breathing in the sky, feeling the power of the mountains , and drinking in the gypsy colors of the canyon walls , you can’t imagine the magic. ” I take a breath. “I feel so privleged to be here ! ”
    “This is one of m y favorite places to be alone. I often come up here just to listen to the wind or watch the birds fly above the canyon. The light and shadows striking the red cliffs are perfect at this time of day.”
    “Hmm, perfect,” I sigh as I fe el his hand tighten around me. Together we watch an eagle glide effortlessly on a current of air below us. The parched grasses stir as a trifling gust saunters along . I am moved by m y smallness in so vast a dominion . I appreciate the ancient peoples need to be here; s o harsh a land yet so beautiful a place . T he toughness of this land calls to the soul and seduces forever . This is mother earth…t his wilderness…t his arid region …t his physical sovereignty . Jay breaks my thoughts.
    “Let’s get out of the sun.”
    I realize for the first time that I am cool, almost chilly . Under the windblown pine tree, we set up our picnic on his colorful blanket . The tree offers protection . The ground is uneven and through the wool blanket I feel some of the weeds poking