Remembering some recent desert trips

Lyrics

Out in the barrens, eastern Nevada
One lonely crow carried her lunch pail
Over the canyon, the sagebrush and yucca
Old sandstone and granite subduction

Hematite highlights lit by the sunset
Flaming the spire on the edge of my canvas
Formerly ocean, the seabed was limestone
Desert agave and blossoming jimson

Burrowing tortoise, bobcat, coyote
Iron concretions, arroyos, tinajas
Bighorn and mule deer, blue moqui marbles
Dinosaur footprints and scorpion fossils

Your navigation has got you rerouted
Eight mile backup on route 67
Old trail is narrow, climbs up a mountain
Oh, but you find it's a desolate heaven

Never a wrong time to do right thing
This is the moment; restorative justice
Children beloved by a spirit creator
Working together and making us stronger

Kangaroo rat in the narrow-leaf paintbrush
Western fence lizard and blacktail jackrabbit
Mojave aster and pincushion cactus
We gave you more than you ever had asked us
(c) Dave Nealon 2018