The sky is pale blue closer to the ragged spines of the outcroppings
Deepening as feathered clouds skitter across the sun
The chlorine tang of creosote among the juniper and oak
Flashes of green in the unforgiving
The stars so plentiful to make constellations meaningless
Assigning connection when the horizon spills over the dry palm of the desert
The cold fingers of the wind on the soft dimple of my skull
