Shards of my soul
Are sieved out of the sand
The painted desert
Draws me in by
The beauty of its romance

The ground is clean & pure
Undisturbed grains of wonder
I carry in the filth
From which I must endure

My footprints are canyons
Marks of were I've been
Only to be filled in, covered
By the ancient wind

Heat fades to cool chilled air
I sit to drink from aged roots
With spines and pedals
Dueling reminders
Of
My cherished
Youth