I stumbled through the haze,
my feet searing with each step.
I couldn’t collapse
or I’d lose my skin,

Mumbles, from women dressed heavy,
“Looks like the bear got her…”
What bear?
Why didn’t the buildings cast a shadow?

No more sun. That’s all I beg,
no more greetings of warm smiles
with “She sure is a-beaming!”
flooding the desert.

The barn was up in flames.
I reach my hands out to the red
and feel a chill roll by me,
with fire giving me the shade I needed.

Lizards roasted in their pools,
horses sweat off saddles,
and here I meander all through town
practicing for my time down below.