Spring 2024

One last hike

By Todd Campbell

I remember the thickets of grievance. How distance swelled
into bitter silence. Colonnades of hemlock and fir solemn
as an acropolis. But also how the fog loosened its grip. Sunlight
streaming into the understory. The flex and sway of her stride.
Mirth in her eyes. Then the face of the mountain, faceted
into light and shadow. Burlap folds of copper bark burned black
by some long forgotten fire. Tree after towering tree scarred
at the base, yearning for sky.


Todd Campbell is a poet, speechwriter, and mosaic artist based in Seattle where he has lived for the past three decades. His poetry has appeared in Hobart, Pangyrus, Reed Magazine, The Shore, and elsewhere.

Spring 2024