blue skies

common enough
in the high Sonoran

bright sun-etched
bar and QR codes specify

place and bearing
on this narrow pathway

the riverbed sandy and dry
green and yellow splotches deep in its sway

with desert trees and shrubs
roots to the flowing river below ground

out of sight since the 1950s
only flows above ground in downpours now

yes, the dry Santa Cruz
with nothing left to lose

but blue skies fill my eyes
keeps me strong and steady

all the way home

–LE – 4/18/26