The Sagebrush Poet

Written by Katie Siesel, Outreach Assistant, Working Lands Conservation

People and places spark artistic inspiration. The Lake District in the UK is famous for its art from the greats like William Wordsworth, who later became known as one of the “Lake Poets”. While not regarded as an artists’ escape, the rangelands of Randolph, UT are stimulating- maybe a little less since the mosquito population has finally dwindled. This past week, I took pen to paper on my lunch break to sharpen my writing chops.

I feel very grateful to be on a field crew this summer. As a recent college graduate, the whirl of activities, clubs, classes, and work has dwindled. Communal life is built into the structure of university life but is often absent in the post-grad working world. I have been grateful for long days with friends, cowboy romance movie nights, and family dinners. While not as serious as famous English poets, writing silly poetry reflects my sentiments towards the mission of our work, the place where we work, and the people we work with. Maybe someday, in dusty English literature classrooms, I’ll be hailed as one of the “Sagebrush Poets”... 

Original Working Lands poetry, by me:

An Ode To Soils Crew

Soils crew, soils crew

If thy were a color

Thy would be

The most beautiful hue

The way thy auger

Strikes the dirt

Reverberates through

This beautiful high desert

Hanging out in the uplands

All day long

Thy laughter carries down

To the streams like a song

Soils crew, soils crew

The fairest of them all

I long to return to the field station

So we can all have a ball