Sands Of Liberation

The desert is sacred

as much as

it is forsaken

I've seen the expansive desert landscapes

"liberate" a privileged woman

from her bubble of paradise

Dressed in sparkles and Patagucci

taking polaroids next to joshua trees

Just to ride back home in her chariot

to the comforts of her wealth

and tell her friends how beautiful the stars were

Liberation for the desert dweller is much different

I've lived through the haunting of the desert

I've tread through places even shadows are afraid of

I've seen the blistering heat turn people mad

The anger boil in their veins to make them act crazy

I've seen the bitter cold freeze over souls

that numb their bodies to not feel anything anymore

I've heard the ghostly wailing of winds swirl with screams

as it smites the very people I love

I've watched the quicksand swallow the friends

I tried to reach out and grab

I've watched the sands of time lithify

just to crumble

I've felt the spines of cactus

stab through the hearts of the vulnerable

I've smelled the thunderstorms rush in

to flood the land and electrify it

I've felt ashes rain down for days

as fires engulfed the valley

I've experienced many rebirths upon deaths in my own skin

As I've crawled on my belly upon the desert sands

I've shed layers upon layers again

I've tasted the emptiness

of dehydration

when there's still many miles left to go

It wasn't until I made it across the desert wasteland

to an ocean of indigo

that I recognized the beauty of the desert

underneath all the hardships

That's when I realized

those living in paradise

those swaddled in ignorance

know nothing of the blessings

that come from liberating yourself from the sands of the desert