the winds whip up the sand around me

stinging and lashing, i feel it lacerate my exposed skin

haven’t drank in days

the burning days and freezing nights

shimmering mirages taunt me at every dune i climb

the carrion feeders circle

the end is near

this desert, all browns and yellow

no green

no life

existence is agony

blistered bare feet on scorching sand barely propel me forward

if i am even going forward any longer

direction became meaningless the moment the dust devils took life

sweeping away any markings i may have made

her voice calls out in the vaults of my mind

her siren call beckons

but it is not mine to answer

as legs give out, cramping, the death throes, finality as i lay twitching in the sand

the winds die down and the vultures land feet from my soon to be corpse

mocking black eyes

i close my eyes and send my love to her one final time before i am stripped clean of flesh

i feel the talons, the beaks tear at me but i have no strength left to fight

good bye my love, my life, i tried