Western edge,
Sage and chaparral
The mix of mercury and gold

Underneath this land of Chumash
There was gold,
Rush, quick silver

Now turning,
cleansings, extractions
A mulching of this dry land.

She stands, looking….
For new territory

The next steps,
There are others who stand close,

On this land lined by ocean, she walks,
Grounded
Open to new possibility
A slow gold