Dancing in the desert, whirling swirling, insane
Inside a spiral cone of sand, arms chopping wildly about
Dry timidity heats the day, then shies away from night
Mutinous, shifting mountains underneath,
Draw along the pathways of my feet
No-one understands the currents of the sea
Or of the deserts, both the same to me
Naked, scoured clean in the desert
Sharp rocks and interlude
Open, reactive and alert to sound, high and low
Rustles, chirpings, breeze through cactus leaves.
Be gentle and quiet with me, bathe me
Let me speak with the desert
To find sleep and rapture there
How old is your soul?
And what has it learned?
White, vapour skies above the desert say
“The truth is simple and always remains the same”.
When all is said and done
Doesn’t matter who says it and never did,
So many names- names are such silly things
And often not remembered
“Love, compassion, care of life, words and deeds of Peace
Reaching out and looking upwards to aspire
As well as inside to learn the secret ladder there
Heal and be kind to other creatures
Without regard for their stings or bites
Though sometimes these are hard to do
Feel my heart as it beats to the desert’s chime
I am the dancer and shall always be
The fierce heat, the blood from my arms and feet
Running also from my wrists
Has long stained the desert floor
Blue inky nights, a million diamond pinprick stars light up the sky
Snakes and shiny scorpions
Both black and brown dwell in the desert too
Crystals dance, out of their minds
Alongside the dry white bones
Which are scatted far and wide
All of this with a single purpose-rain
We shall, one day bring rains to the desert
For below its dryness there awaits a deep lake to fill
This is our task, to fill the lake and flood the earth
Then cause it to spring forth with fresh, green grain
And other, strange new forms of life abounding
Searching, reaching, questioning all
And this poem shall be the spell to release that ancient call
This is breathtaking– a journey into the soul of the desert. Taos speaks to me in the same way, and the sky is so enormous you can feel your ordinary personality empty out into it, until you are left with the sense of being the most subtle presence, a container for the life around you. Ian, you might like to know about my friend Mary Reynolds Thompson who is doing work on the desert as an archetype. I shall surely show your poem to her, as she’s finishing a book on five landscapes and how they affect our spiritual and psychological development. Her theme is “untame your story — rewild your life.” And that is what you’ve done so beautifully here. https://www.maryreynoldsthompson.com/
Looking forward to more of your posts.
A very inspiring read. Love the rythm. I would love to pick your brain sometime and have you critique my work. Enjoyed this and would ask you to stop by Dirt Road Storytelling on Facebook if you ever have any time.
This is absolutely Beautiful, inspiring and Strong Ink with a dash of traditional storytelling. Thank you for sharing.