The Canyon's Edge

This summary includes the following poems: “Piercing,” “Stung,” “Heart,” “Remember,” “Inside a Tent,” “One Last Lie,” “He’s Here,” “Things I Don’t Tell,” “Two Claws,” “Gasping and Grasping,” “Strong Enough,” “Let It Be,” “Beatles Dream,” “Still Here,” “All for Nothing,” “The Only Person in the World,” “Up,” “Time to Go,” “Leaving,” “Climbing,” “Grip Strength,” “Stress,” “The Top,” “Desert Sun,” “Reason,” “Forgive,” “Another Way,” “Walking on Water,” “Desperation,” “Underneath,” “Danielle,” “Truth,” “Liminal Space,” and “In-Between.”

Nora feels two sharp pokes and knows something has stung her. Pulling off her tank top, she sees a deadly bark scorpion. The venom immediately makes her feel hot and ill: Her heart races, her tongue swells, and her muscles twitch. She wonders if anyone will find her body or remember her and what happened at Café Ardiente. Nora thinks of Sofía Moreno’s bravery and tries to be as strong as her, but she slips into a waking dream, a hallucination: She’s inside a tent with Danielle on their camping/fishing trip, joking happily, until Danielle tells her there’s a monster outside, and Nora realizes she’s in the cave. Over the raging storm, Nora hears the Beast climbing up the canyon wall.