by Noah Craig

Nothing grows underneath this sun, yellow
Sand glints and winks peek-a-boo
Until the sun decides to set low
Behind dunes frosted a hue blue

I stagger up the shifting stair
To a crest that tells my fortune—
For the view before me bares
This land of desolation 

Sometimes I trot, roll, fall
Down into the blank valley
Hoping the next hill not so tall
But knowing I’m not quite hope-savvy 

Yesterday’s footprints follow close
And tomorrow’s mirage leans in
Both fatal to take of a dose 
Some days I lose more than I win

There’s an oasis somewhere
The secret of the sand
I think I’m sure I’ll make it there
But this hasn’t gone how I had planned

You led me into this desert
I followed you over the first grains
But I’ve found it hard to stay alert
With the heat getting to my brain

It seems to me that the path is gone
Everything is the same and different
I don’t know if left is right or left is wrong,
If this is it or even what You meant

One day when I look back, maybe
I will see the blatant tracks
And pass the test You gave me
And chance a look at all the facts

Was it for You or for me?
Silly question—my heart’s treasure
Can be none but Who loved me
Past the very last measure

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Noah Craig currently resides in Corvallis, Oregon. He loves to ponder the wonder of both the natural and the spiritual.