Red Rock Rendezvous

Into this landscape
Of ancient desert splendor,
Each day we wandered
Like hunters after game.

Through canyons and gullies,
Hidden passages suddenly revealed,
We stalked our prey:
Vertical walls of stone.

With an early sun overhead,
And Stone Wall in our sights,
We chanced upon a place
That was, but is no longer, there.

Through a narrow slot
In both stone and time,
We squeezed, then stopped
In awe. Overwhelmed.

Imagine this:
Beneath a cerulean sky,
Red sandstone walls
Trap a wash of crimson sand.
All brushed with fair-haired sunlight.

And there, dead center,
Arresting the eyes, enriching the soul,
As if by purposeful design,
Two trees entwined like lovers.

One studded with leaves tiny and green,
The other… oh, the other…
Thick with blooms, brightly dressed
In neon purple!

Upon these colors,
Rich and warm to the touch,
And mineral textures crackling, alive,
My senses gorged.
The scene a glorious feast!