riding horseback just before dawn
in the cool of the desert
30 miles east of Santa Fe
in the middle of the most barren land i have ever seen
no cars, buildings, power lines, people,
nothing but sage brush, sand, cactus, rock
our destination was an oasis
the horses walked leisurely through dry arroyos that snaked along a valley
mountain lion prints in the sand
jet black ravens cawing at us then moving on
the colors in the desert are breathtaking
the morning has shades of red, yellow, gold, blue, green
i can't explain it
the horse's breath rose visible in those colors
mingling with mine as we made our way
i miss my friend who rode a sorrel a few feet ahead of me
the horse i rode was the color of an Oreo cookie
i called him Gus
the desert is enchanting all day and night
for some reason i feel closer to God there
the distractions are fewer
the sparse land lends itself to a cleaner and clearer thought
somehow easier to clear the mind
as the sun rose it began to warm up quickly
we rode up and over some cliffs
the shades of brown and rust all around us that is desert
then we saw the oasis
lush green weeds, wildflowers, yellow, purple, red, small trees
incredible
i assumed there must be a major water source for this to occur
we rode down into this lush green valley
the water source was only a small drip from under some rocks
no more than a kitchen faucet left slightly on
i miss New Mexico today,
and my friend.
wkm
for Robyn Miller
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