Frontier
Endless
Eons
the desert,
beautiful, ethereal
though dangerous.
Starkly
striking
with it's sentinel sierra's
and dull dun dust.
Here, ancient Apache
phantoms
and gunslinger's ghosts
mingle midst ramshackle shanties
in colonia's of startling squalor.
This is land's end
( not the clothing company)
just
sun
scorching summer skin
and in winter a cold
that permeates bone...
And small creatures
skitter about
' mongst brambles and burs
like beetles
and stone- colored
lizards.
So seemingly barren,
God- forsaken
fit for but bandits
and thorns
this is a harsh land,
not for the weak
but I understand it's
bounty,
it's mystical allure
I know the dazzling
blooms
starry skies and
coyote's plaintive wail
and how prophets
have sought solace here,
a quiet contemplation
refuge,
rest.
Yes, the desert gives
to those who'll receive.