How fire builds, born of warm remembrance
far or deep in heart it burns, sparks
a flash, how lightening strikes fly
achingly, beautiful pieces of sky
tiny embers burrow
swept inside the soul
a call, remembered
will burn, burn
indelible

Winter's unsteady weather
cold, cold, hot desert
on this walkabout with severe angles of sun
icy mornings drip into the sweat of day
the impasse of giant stones the gods have laid
to stop or climb another way
egos travel irretrievable, sink into what is real
here we scale thorny towers of denial
revealed, peeled in layers - to cry, to smile
meanwhile awakened, shaken
from the sleep of our amnesia.

I don't know why I wallow
curved, I meld into the hollows
sunk and swallowed
a pale yellow sun, I follow
whittled, slim cored
dark from sullen caves explored
here where I await the glowing moon
a relic jewel, to light the path
for me, a sad and silly fool

Driving east, I leave the sun,
still behind mountains, to burn
east, vastly deep, cold cool desert
early before mirages sweep in waves
oceans of stones, smoothed round
flooding, tumbling cactus down
early, under dawn's flowing gown
billowing, red sky of fire
on back roads, Apache trails
seeking souls, lost within the Dragoons
rest, I sleep amid ancient bones
celebrate, dance with ancestral ghosts 
free, our spirits roam
the Cochise stronghold

When I can no longer dredge, move water
dragging silt through sand, disappearing
my hands tied by seaweed, clawed and crabbed
strange ocean of paraphernalia, I trudge the land
my lips, red crusts and salty bled
fingers stiff, rusty locks, rubber gloved
swallowed up, fastening round a net, a trap
to pull the ocean in

By these woods I've come, wildly green
mossy step of days, long the forest rain
refresh my breath, breathe deep of trees
hovering grey ghostly steam
the smoking warmth of sun that comes
to sing with birds, perched upon
soft sword and leather fern
laced with berries wild
and faeries good
sing green of home
they wildly roam, safe amid
the bracken woods

Gathering chaparral, just after rain
sticky leaved, miniscule, green
tiny bundles, scented woody
now one, with earthen hands
under a winter moon, garland star stitched
pitch of juniper, pinion fire
only a dalliance this
fragrant desert
pyre