melissaahowells - From The Desert

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the desert cares for no one
but itself
and its rugged raw beauty
its thirst is unquenchable
it will swallow whatever comes to it
water, life
take care of yourself
or you will find yourself
belonging forever
in the desert

the desert isn't humble
it humbles you
bring along water
a barrel or two
it won't be enough
you'll always have the need for more
thirst rules
its the score
in the desert

the desert has unlimited skies
and sun that never dims
a lot beneath it dies
only the shimmering heat doesn't cry
for pity's sake
you might see things that aren't where
they are supposed to be
like a lake
in the desert

I came from the flat land
where the bear grass grew tall
there weren't any mountains
nor deserts there at all
only deserts wide swaths of unwavering green
so when I saw the desert
I didn't quite exactly know
what I was seeing

but I understood its vastness
how the land seemed lost and lonely
how it was needy and mean
and somehow needed me

then the bone-dry desert winds
filled my mind up with sand
they said to me
so sorry don't stop darling too long
to wait n' see
we might have other plans
low it moaned
low it wailed and whispered
its time you shied away
hied away

(its now or never)

leave now
from the desert
from the desert
from the desert

before you're dried up
and blown away

completely gone

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the desert both enthralls and overwhelms
and I believe that's what my dreams were about
just wrote this to the page
had the privilege to see Sedona with my friend
who so generously took me there

May 13th 2017/8:23pm from the desert in Dewey AZ
where my friend lives/she used to be a Portlander
and now she lives, and is from the desert.

revised May 18, 2017 10:48PM PST no longer
desert time, but pacific rain forest time.

LEGAL COPYRIGHT FOR THIS POEM/WORK AND ALSO FOR THIS
WRITER MELISSA A. HOWELLS AND ALSO FOR THIS LEGALLY
COPYRIGHTED SITE TITLE:MELOO STRAIGHT FROM HER TILT-A-WORLD