Three Sands

Life in Three Sands is very simple. There are those here for the oil And those that stay for the booze, games, and women. But things have begun to change. A new layer of sand is blowing in from the next town over. Just lightly floating in the wind. My father says we still have time, But my mother insists that we need to leave. Now. I am conflicted. I know how much we depend on my father’s work, But I also know that my mother is right. Time is running out. All of my friends and the gamblers have left. Our feet sink a little in all of the extra sand in our town. I wander around what is left. I enter a new building every day. I take my time and immerse myself in the life that used to be here. Before the sand drifted in the broken windows. One day I am a roughneck taking an extra long break at the bar, And the next, I am a care-free sinner looking for my next customer. My adventures block out my reality, but the sand never stops. Today is the day. I can feel it. I feel the sand that has entered my body. The sand that is now a part of my body. It tells me that it is too late. We won’t make it. As I make my final walk around town, I can feel myself slip away into the sand. As my legs become submerged, I look out at our house. The paint is weathered and there are holes in the roof where the sand pours in. My mother sits at the table, trying to dust off every grain. I don’t fight it. I close my eyes. And let myself drown in this final layer of sand.