Drab gray sky
Ominous darkening over the mountain
Purple tinge to billowing black clouds
Large drops of rain explode on the sidewalk
Combative waves swoop into the valley
Cold, angry rain
Sleet clatters on the library window
Tiny white crystals transform the landscape
Absolute awe
How beautiful, the tribute of my mind
Charming, I whisper, from the ease of the
brown leather chair
A painting framed in the transparency of glass
Momentary magic.
But what of the shirtless man
who walks the lane nearby?
The one who talks to himself,
waves his arms and addresses heaven.
Friendly trees bend low, shielding his bedroll camp
Layers of cardboard fight off the cold
Earth feels the quiver of his fetal form.
A whisper forms in the deep opaqueness.
The madness of it all.
Sonoran Desert Writer 