in the desert   the sagey high-desert

away from media

away from the glare of civilization

the dusk air is chill   the earth still warm   

radiant

at this late-summer time of year

we spread our tarp and blankets   we've come

to stargaze   

listen for coyotes   be aware   

be alone in this unfamiliar place

alone together

~

night comes quickly

it is absolute

bestowing a pristine sky   

stars   brilliant   but challenged

by the moon  

near full   casting shadows   and yes   later  

coyotes howling   first here   then there

tricksters

sending shivers up and down my spine   

this place is mighty   

and unknown

~

with night comes a penetrating cold

i snuggle

into marketa's warmth   

she is impervious to such things

as weather   

takes my too-thin   too yielding   body

gives me shelter   so we watch

listen   

fall asleep   hoping the chill

has sent the serpentes

into a somnolence of their own

~

my desert dreams are cyclical

troubling

i rouse myself repeatedly to shake them off

to say   this is not real   this

is not happening

finally rousing myself fully   reengaging

with the stars   now shifted   

and sounds   quieter

seemingly more distant   more familiar   

less unsettling than they were

even a few hours ago   

~

i do not begrudge marketa

her sleep

i draw the blanket tighter around me   

give it up   find my shoes   

walk into the dawn   

and all of this   all the world 

is only a backdrop to my weary thoughts   

which never cease  

never sooth   which no environment

not even this other-worldly place

assuages

~

this is me   unsettled   alone when not alone

ill at ease   

in all but the sublime moments

always seeking those moments

relying on others

for comfort and succor   offering myself

in the only way i know to give back

knowing   

at the least   i offer myself fully   without condition   

expecting no recompense   

but warmth