once i was on a trail in big mountains
once my mind was a piece of junk, caught in so much
regret and whatnot despite the sunset light
once, by no doing of my own, more like that light
falling from way up high outside myself
i realized that my brother deserved forgiveness
i forgave my brother
i don’t have a brother
he was me, every passed moment
on a trail in big mountains at dusk, wow
it all went away

This article appears in April 2024.

Leath Tonino is the author of two essay collections, most recently The West Will Swallow You. A full-time freelance writer, his work appears regularly in Orion, The Sun, Outside, Tricycle, New England Review and other magazines.