It rained today
In the desert
Deep puddles of murky brown obstructed the roads
Stones strewn about the streets
Crews worked to clear a way.
In the late afternoon, I wander
Out past the last neighborhood
Past the crackling poles of electricity
that run parallel for miles.
A finite border on the outskirts of town.
Down into the fossil beds I go.
Worn corduroy Toms kicking up broken bits of shale.
Down – then up –
Onto a plateau
Though it just rained
A faint trace of dampness is all that remains
For the desert is all-consuming
It takes your water,
your breath,
your life.
I stand here
At desert’s edge
And I feel it begin to tug at my soul.
Wind whips
as I stare into the vast expanse.
Behind me is the sound of an engine
far in the distance.
A motorbike roars to life.
But I stare ahead and wonder
Who would I be if I surrendered
my soul to this plain.
History lost in time.
I breathe out.
Stretching taller toward the sun.
Then turn back
To civilization.
A Life That's Good 