A Night Out

A night out

Walking beneath the chrystal clarity 
of ten trillion distant points 
endless dandruff sprinkled liberally 
on black velvet 
warm desert breeze...95 degrees 
caressing my hair and face 
the world sleeps as I wander 
amidst ancient spirits and spires 
the quiet is so loud that I find 
myself thinking about 
how loud the quiet is 
my cooking fire emits an orange glow 
the spit above it clean except for.... 
the bits of fat that hock their way 
into the blazing coals 
my sleeping bag lies waiting 
its belly empty, 
its comforts not yet met 
for dreams elude me 
~ 
where I chose to camp 
was used before 
it holds the remnants of 
many other nights like these 
in the ashes of long dead fires 
and in the bones of 
many meals consumed 
now buried in the sand 
for I am not the first to visit this place 
nor will I be the last 
But tonight it is 
my prowling ground 
my howling ground 
to desecrate or pay tribute to 
as I so desire 
the cacti stand silent witness 
the rocks mute 
as my footfalls echo 
through the canyon walls 
these monoliths have known 
for centuries 
the blackness that swallows 
all the desolation of this land 
and they welcome it at eve 
for morning brings the brutal heat 
and the relentless struggle to survive 
again till nightfall shades them 
soon the sandman pays a visit even here 
amidst the vast storehouses of his grain 
my eyes grow burdensome 
and so I amble back to find some sleep 
beneath a speckled dome 
when at long last I am stretched out 
H O R I Z O N I T A L 
I lie gazing at Gods diamonds 
whose brilliant cuts bedazzle 
these desert skies 
my eyes blink once 
then twice 
then thrice 
and find the abscence of all light 
more suitable to my restless mind