The Desert Awakens
By John Herlihy

The desert awakens but there is very little there;
Beauty, yes, and emptiness, with very little to spare.
They say true beauty arises within the harshest land,
Unexpected and treasured, uncountable like the sand,
A vastness that rivals the expanse of the heavens above,
A silence that flies bareback on the wings of a dove.

The desert awakens at night with the sparkling of stars;
Their twinkle travelling huge distances from behind Mars,
With no stars, the desert would be nothing but a deserted lake,
An empty quarter filling space without a care for human sake.
These angelic envoys faithfully appear every night of the year;
If humans take notice, their presence draws forth a salty tear.

There is a desert in the mind that we can hardly bear,
Vast, yes, and lonely, with which nothing can compare.
They say true fortitude appears when we least expect it,
Formidable and fortuitous, gratefully accepted lest we forget it,
A power that inspires and impels us on a lone path forward,
A driving energy that unravels forces that steer us homeward.

The desert shimmers a mirage, the mystery of God revealing;
The human mind accepts the idea as a miracle most appealing.
The revelation makes a sudden descent from celestial realms,
Resounding sound never heard before that simply overwhelms,
Destined to echo on the lips and within the hearts of the faithful,
A remembrance of God as an awakening of the soul most grateful.