under cliffs

sienna umber purple blue the colors of the desert

subdue the sky – We who survive

wish to know where we Are – We subsume

our longing in a dry awareness

of pith and Cruelty – who

is it who can arch

his irony beyond his reach to tell

a story of inclusion

and depth? What do

we do when the tolling’s ended? These

ochre shapes

lull us to Sleep with

a careful dignity – We yearn

for water

our fists held tightly in

expectant surety --