Postcard 23

The crystal desert air is telescopic
Brings the stars so close they cast
Shadows of their own. The cactus
Keep silent watch, bear witness to
All that unfolds both above and below
There is no horizon and the sky goes on
Forever. You could get lost up there
Drown in the Milky Way haze cracking the shell
Down the middle, then
Get scooped out when
Snagged on Mali's Hook
(Which reminds you there
Are scorpions in the underbrush
So keep your wits about you)
The distance is at once
Obvious and ridiculous, those
Pinprick twinkles are too
Glittery to be so complicated. You memorize their
Patterns and wish they knew your name