The Sagebrush Poet
Written by Katie Siesel, Outreach Assistant, Working Lands Conservation
People and places spark artistic inspiration. The Lake District in the UK is famous for its art from the greats like William Wordsworth, who later became known as one of the “Lake Poets”. While not regarded as an artists’ escape, the rangelands of Randolph, UT are stimulating- maybe a little less since the mosquito population has finally dwindled. This past week, I took pen to paper on my lunch break to sharpen my writing chops.
I feel very grateful to be on a field crew this summer. As a recent college graduate, the whirl of activities, clubs, classes, and work has dwindled. Communal life is built into the structure of university life but is often absent in the post-grad working world. I have been grateful for long days with friends, cowboy romance movie nights, and family dinners. While not as serious as famous English poets, writing silly poetry reflects my sentiments towards the mission of our work, the place where we work, and the people we work with. Maybe someday, in dusty English literature classrooms, I’ll be hailed as one of the “Sagebrush Poets”...
Original Working Lands poetry, by me:
An Ode To Soils Crew
Soils crew, soils crew
If thy were a color
Thy would be
The most beautiful hue
The way thy auger
Strikes the dirt
Reverberates through
This beautiful high desert
Hanging out in the uplands
All day long
Thy laughter carries down
To the streams like a song
Soils crew, soils crew
The fairest of them all
I long to return to the field station
So we can all have a ball