What a brutal sun that assaults the cliffs

[AmyMichelleMosier]

What a brutal sun that assaults the cliffs
   Where cacti and mescals dare to abide!
Here and there, dozens of petroglyphs
   Decorating the canyon may be espied.

In large nesting circles neatly drawn
   In evaporating wisps and bold squares
In a sun to give thanks for every dawn
   In little starbursts and stick figures

In a deer, in an eagle looking strong
   In a war scene kept by the ancients –
It remains unsaid – time is not long
   But to a murky end, everything drifts.