A delicacy of tumbleweeds somersault over chafed desert roads A dry wind flickers past rusted cans A sun obliterates the emerald sky.
I seek the solace of a single tree Each shred of shade but a mirage -- Again, and gone again. Sitting upon a dusty rock, skin calked with sand and sweat. A tear drops to the ground, a last bit of moisture which I feel I cannot spare.
From that very tear struck spot a small green shoot appears And then buds, A tiny floweret, that soon unfurls its azure robes.
Within each petal Dew drops flowing into rivers My face reflecting upon the watery surface A youthful visage belying age and work.
Stepping inside the cool transparency the river running, Streaming to a scented pool, from which to sip, to rest, and ultimately... sleep.
Awakening... It is the same desert spot, The illusion came and gone. I am still parched, still spent. Dry roads crisscross touching to infinity, Looking out at horizon's edge to wonder why.
But with no choice to choose I stand with aching joints Stumbling past one more random rock.
A patch of lilies blooming in a dry ravine. A few more steps reveal a willow branch And beyond its sleepy curve a stream from which to drink.
The sky softens to turquoise red And gentle stars touch the ground As sparrows flock to pools of rippling silver lakes And rain floats a misty cloud through every blade of grass.
What was the flower that I passed? Surely it was a dream, the kind of fancy that comes to men -- when hope has sighed a long last breath.
What if I had stopped? What if I had not strode forth another time To see what was just beyond that other bend? What if I had stood my ground upon the bleak and lonely spot?
But such questions quickly went their way as I picked up my staff and walked past this Eden spot To take yet one more step... Beyond Heaven's Farthest Gate.
