Ode to a Desert's Dusk
Location
Summer rays burn,
baking a barren land,
A desert revealed as death,
By the truth of the day,
reflects the radiance in an effort to reject,
the revelations of nature forcefully presented,
and in doing so further scorches the surface,
and the few scurrying survivors,
scampering from one shadow to the next.
Worn down daredevils.
They know they flirt with destruction.
Yet they feel no thrill
Only they know the true value of shade
They know exposure is their enemy
Only hidden can they flourish
They wait.
They wait for those who’ve hid.
For those burrowed to emerge.
For the oppression of the divine to weaken.
For the sky to split.
For the blinding barrage to be beaten back.
As the battle begins.
The forces of the late hours stumble out
And the spectrum splits
And the blood of the day is spilled across the sky
Red and orange and pink
the colors of a flare signaling a coup
A revolution of life begins
They wait with angst
Made uneasy by the anticipation
Of looking on a battle of greater powers which has divided their world
As they look to the East
They see their growing forces approach
To the West
They see the enemies’ glorious last stand
Weighed down by awe
They attempt to adjust
Eyes grow wider
Pupils expand
Senses strain in preparation
They’re strength increases
They’re reach extends
They wait for the call to fall out
As the minutes pass
And the results become clear
The beckoning becomes stronger
The burden becomes less
They wait for those last dying rays
For light to fall, and all growing shadows to join
To be assimilated with all the shades in smoke
To embrace the mystery
To revel in the freedom
The last of the solar forces resist
But no longer can the flood of life be held back
They pour out
Standing now amongst the towers of the desert
The preparation is over
They set out.
No longer forced to hide
No longer held back by the blaze
No longer jailed by necessity
They emerge in plentitude
Joyous and energetic
The sun sets.
Life abounds.
The land of desolation is no more.
The denizens of the dark now roam.