Elk Walk
April evening
mountain town,
dark sky, cold rain.
Headlights shine on black pavement.
Empty streets.
On a sidewalk at a corner stop light,
Five elk
line up, largest to smallest,
oldest to youngest.
Waiting.
Red turns green,
elk stride, single file across street,
Reaching open space and roaring, canyon creek.
Turning and descending,
Following path down the mountain side
under main street and its shuttered shops
arriving in a large grassy meadow with a lake
To eat, drink and sleep.
mountain town,
dark sky, cold rain.
Headlights shine on black pavement.
Empty streets.
On a sidewalk at a corner stop light,
Five elk
line up, largest to smallest,
oldest to youngest.
Waiting.
Red turns green,
elk stride, single file across street,
Reaching open space and roaring, canyon creek.
Turning and descending,
Following path down the mountain side
under main street and its shuttered shops
arriving in a large grassy meadow with a lake
To eat, drink and sleep.
This poem is copyright (©) Elizabeth Thoms Charles 2025
About the Writer
Elizabeth Thoms Charles
Elizabeth is a member of SCBWI. She loves gardening, reading, writing, and walking in nature which occasionally inspires poetry. She earned a BA in Spanish and an MLS in library science. She lives in Colorado and writes picture books and mysteries. Her poems have been published in The Dirigible Balloon.
