the sands seem sinuous
as the sunlight stabs
unsightly daggers
into the eyes
of all who are stricken
by the unfiltered photons

when i was a kid
i liked to study snakes
the sidewinder
with the strange way
it slithers across
the stinging sands
was always my favorite
simply because
of the oddness of it all

yet i feel no urge
to be blinded
by the reflected refraction
through the moisture
in the atmosphere

the desert winds
blow
through the shimmering oasis
of brittle hope
that once
rustled the tent flaps
of my dehydrated soul

with nary a sidewinder
in sight