A Night Desert

orange on red on sand.
day-end, a cool breeze arrives,
urges the sun to bed,
tucks her in under heavy, dark hills
shadow boulders shoulder rocks surrounded
by vast ripples of the finely crushed: a lineage.
heat waves sigh and roll over
and take the night to dissipate.
cactus blooms nod.
stars, thousands,

a night desert is infinite, falling
just shy of space to heal.

melissa suarez