Mirage
Turquoise stones and sun-bleached bones
Were strewn across the sand.
Through mid-day heat on blistered feet
The cowboy tried to stand.
They stole his horse without remorse
And then they took his boots.
They left him dry to bake and die
Without the six gun that he shoots.
He caught a glimmer of a shimmer
Of water in the distance.
He tried all day to make his way
But pain became resistance.
Without shade he began to fade
And the water was no nearer.
The fate he faced without a taste
Of water was much clearer.
Then a Navajo maid saw him splayed
On a rock outcrop ahead.
Filled with worry she began to hurry
For fear that he was dead.
The water she gave helped to save
The cowboy’s life that day.
From the start he gave his heart
And wished that she would stay.
Then morning came and wagon train
Appeared within his sight.
But the Navajo maid could not be repaid
For she had vanished in the night.
Should he stay or be on his way
He had to come to a decision.
Was she there to give him care
Or was she just a vision?
Copyright © Tony Lane | Year Posted 2011
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