Order Of The Arrow Poem by Chas Weeden

Three days and topo,
Drawn circle to stay
Within; can't
Encounter another.

Three days of solitude
Bare provisions, no tent;
Fruit, jerky, one egg,
Three matches.

The rest of food to find
Mid-summer, Sierra,
Plenty if you know,
Nothing if not.

Night one, little sleep
Chilled, shaking fingers
Touch flame to tinder -
Welcome whisp.

Eat one half orange
Put egg within
Then orange into coals -
The first breakfast.

Eve, day two,
The silence doesn't speak;
Smells and sounds
Grow strong and loud.

Night three, a voice
Different language
Primal, musical,
Ecstatic, empowering.

Hike back, meet others
Sit in circle, no talk,
Eat sandwiches
Listen to a drum.