Lightning on the Desert

My arms and legs are lightning.

My head spills thunder.

Everything around me burns celestial fire.

I walk through clouds, can’t climb higher.

Walk through blue sky

above desert sand.

Lava rock jumbled black.

Rabbit brush, sage, desert grass

jackrabbit, rattlesnake,

elk majestic above hoofprints

pronghorns fast as desert wind.

Smell of dust.

Smell of rock.

Smell of desert rain

blown blue and grey as feathers

down from roiling desert sky.

Clean as desert air,

desert sky.

Fire of lightning all around me.

My mind smells like thunder.

Here comes night,

cold as desert wind,

desert rain,

cold as first snow on the desert.

Kiyoti sings from jumbled lava rock

a story song.

She sings it has always been like this

on the desert.

It will always be like this on the desert,

fire of lightning,

thunder,

night sudden as cold wind, cold as first snow.