her smile was
worn down by the road
and it seemed to her nothing could
lift her spirit
nothing could lift the storm from her brow

and you can feel the soft leather of his boot echo on down the hall
as he steps into the story
and there no joy to be had
there's no place to hide from this face of you

she had thought to
escape into the vast desert of the pages of history
lost to track or trace but
she knew someone would come for her
like a derelict pantomime of a gunslinger
both barrels hot to the touch cold to the eye

he came in to the busy room
and caught her eye
like a morning dove catching the first ray of sunlight
beautiful was the moment in her heart
beautiful in her mind
he was slick and neatly appointed from
his dark brown hat dipped to cover one dark eye
to his boots of spanish leather
that made a hollow sound in the sudden silence

a hush had fallen on the awed gathering
they had heard of men like him
coming up north out the wild country
coming up looking for fortune and fame
with the gun and the deck of cards
but they had never seen such a creature up close
and you could smell the fear
in every man
but you could taste the barely muted desires
in every woman there

the next day at the break of day
she lay with him
a gentle place in her heart had opened
she felt hope
she felt a coolness in the hot breeze
a rose had grown and there was no denying it
like a force of nature
like a tower never breached

and so it lay
a rose so sweet
on the breaker of the changing tides
waiting for sunrise
laying with one of the wolves
she had changed him
woman is a force of nature
that no man can understand
and no man can resist