THE BUTTE
by Chris Booker Sarwine
Eastern Washington University
Chris Booker Sarwine is a Creative Writing English major studying part-time at Eastern Washington University and working full-time for medical school admissions. A lifetime Washington State resident, Chris was moved by the shift of the world during the pandemic and returned to writing as a means of navigating the emotionality in a world caught up in fear, racism, ageism and choking death. The poems The Butte and Vestiges of a Virus are her first published pieces.
THE BUTTE
determined to keep pace Breathing shallow
physical limitations emotional subterfuge
while you were young I in my middle-age
hiking the Butte
pressing along we go up and up and up
higher altitude, aging lungs
crunching feet on the trail make a focal point
remember when I was the parent?
emotional chatter
inhale Hold exhale slow
we watch their feet as we climb step by step
cloying aroma of wildflowers
the hush of leaves rattled by the pushing breeze
vocalizing challenges hefting ourselves Up the terrain
energy wafting away negative emotions
we are almost to the Butte
taking selfies at the top Frozen smiles aimed at my phone
scan the horizon Breathe fresh air
fill my lungs and holding it there
placating the brightness indulging
bracing for the descent
clapping feet on the trail
easier now on the downhill side
Sweat cooling breath under control
Interview With The Author
1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
"The Butte" was inspired by a photograph of my son and hiking the Butte, a hill near our home. The hike was harder for me than it had been in the past. As we continued hiking up the trail I was ever more aware of my breath and keeping pace with him. I was now aware that our roles had reversed as he moved into adulthood doing things that adults do, like entertain their aging mother on a hike.
2. What is your creative process?
I have always been a person who journals regularly as a means of processing the many thoughts, feelings and stories that run through my mind constantly. After I have my thoughts down on paper, or typed on a page, I have the raw information that I continue to mold from there. The most important part of the process, I have gratefully learned, is having many people read my writing and respond to it. Their feedback shapes the work further and often times helps me to see areas that could be more clear for the reader.
3. What are some influences on your artistic process?
If it weren't for my husband's interest in my writing, I think this journey would be more challenging. He often acts as my muse, thus inspiring more ideas within in me for telling a story. I also tend to dive head first into adversity because writing about it helps me to understand it.
Editors’ Comments
Oftentimes, we forget about our breath and how it circulates through our body, to the world outside of us, and repeating the process. "THE BUTTE" calls its readers to be intentional about our breath, pacing them alongside the speaker as they both trek forward on a steep hill. As you climb to the top, Chris Sarwine Booker reminds us to breathe and appreciate the inhalation and exhalation of breaths we take at every moment.