Desert Coach

 Desert Markings. Follow the way they lead. Cards played and spent Across the tables of sand. A scattered deck.   Played by a fool Hanging upside down Now from a tree.   Striving to be free He drew them down Face by face into Monotony.   Water spent. The jokers turning wild And the aces picked up Tossed by the wind.   Slowly twisting downward From a branch The desert player Grasping for a final round.                          

  Desert paradox. Burn up in the blazing day, Freeze in the still night. Desert's paradox. Strange out here, How nature makes it work. Made us work too. We hauled it along. Water, firewood, More water still. Perchance we can make it Yet another day. If the water doesn't go dry And the firewood out.

  Paul out here. Desert chained. Beaten down more than any, Save Jesus. He looks around. "I see you have images to the Unknown One. Desert deliverer that you hope for." "Come closer here, For my throat is parched. Listen to my words. I will tell of your deliverer."

  Tower of the red rock falls, Plunging naked into it all. An adventure of God's own divinity. Let yourself go down, down Into the bluish foam of Your own soul's refreshment. The chilled water of psalms. Free flowing of your own body. Holy words cascading like Gentle kisses all over and Through this sacred hideaway. You yearn to stay And never leave the depths. Fathoming secrets the deeper You travel through. An adventure of caves and labyrinths. Bold and subtle all the colors of Rocks and ledges of swollen lava. Your body and soul moving downward. Enjoying earthly nature's symphony. Water and stone morning litany.

Every day now it seems we are welcomed to the cesspool of hostile and aggressive news. What years ago was mainly confined to newsprint is now coming at us from every digital direction available. Just scrolling through the headlines is enough to make you wonder if the world IS truly coming to an end. What I personally find so troubling about this trend of communication is that it is NEGATIVE NEGATIVE NEGATIVE. It does not take a degree in psychology to think that maybe this negative barrage is not good for the individual or collective mind set. Maybe it is time that we all throw open our windows and shout out to the street "ENOUGH ALREADY!"

  So many are saying that what is happening in this country is "the new normal!" I totally disagree. Since when is showing kindness and helping others not the right thing to do? Since when is social distancing the preferred way of living as human beings. Yes, we are experiencing a crisis. But what is happening today is no how, no way, the new normal.

  Sand, sun, Hardened snow, Dunes of moon and earth. The desert lands. Beckoning us to come. Love's playground.