Indelible Ink

Indelible Ink

Morning, on the arroyo, lips shrink from thirst
Here in the serene desert. I think of thirst

Every warrior stands ready at this arid outpost
Where Humvees, like humped camels, wink at thirst

Through the spectrum of a mosque’s window, I hear
Chants repeating, like sea waves on the brink of thirst

I rely on the dream, nightly your smile appears,
Invariable, steady, like the sun, a link to my thirst

The wilderness burns, we sweat until glassy, heated up
By waves of tank shells that stink of thirst

Through bloody fingers, I pen words of love
Dying red droplets, indelible ink for your thirst

KBris 2006