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
melissa 