Desert

Watch, sun. Watch as you rise over the earth. Glance at the landscape. Survey the heavens. Perceive the wingbeats of the hawk, who circles endlessly. Listen, sky. Hear the sighing of the ground. Heed the gaze of the sun. Fly, hawk. Raise your head in defiance of the dirt; raise your wings in tribute to the clouds. Watch, hawk. Watch the ground for signs of life; watch the haze for signs of rain. Breathe, hawk. Let heat fill your lungs, and then let air parch them. Listen, hawk. Hear your cries, echoing across time and space. Hang in balance with the sun, the sky, and the earth. Live, hawk. Breathe, earth. Gasp through the cracks in the soil. Savor the dust. Sense the aroma of the air. Hide, mouse. Skitter through the sand. Watch, mouse. Twitch, turn, tremble. Breathe, mouse. Pant in the heat. Listen, mouse. Hear the scream of the hawk. Hear the sound of falling feathers. Stand in balance with the sun, the earth, and the hawk. Run, mouse.