I see a mirage just ahead,
But I don’t think I want to go.
It will be elusive
Just like the rest,
And I’m so thirsty.

I swear I hear gurgling waters.
Just the sound of it
Brings such cool relief,
Imagining my dry lips supple once again
While my aching body rejuvenates,
Succulent strokes of moisture
Caressing every pore.

Pore me.
How did I wander into this desert land
Of cactus milk and soul honey?
Dew of a fresh dawn waiting for me
Just beyond the sunset.
I forge ahead sloughing the desert’s grainy confetti
Into the next forty-nine miles.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
Burnt skin taut in this scorching dry land of none.
Hallucinations are better than reality today,
My imagination running away,
Running away,
Running away.
Soul collapse at last in the boulder shadow,
Cool, stoney gaze of yesterday’s lover,
Sheltering me from the heat of today’s deep miscalculation.

Tender heart take me away
Kiss away these unshed tears
Before I drown in my own pool of desert deception.

02/23/2006

Posted on 02/23/2006
Copyright © 2025 Alison McKenzie