Sands stretching out farther than the eye can see,
a warm wind that sweeps over the solitary dunes;
a hazy mirage to torment a travellers feverish sight,
no sparkling water to soothe a parched throat.
A phoenix flashes by towards the fire of the setting sun,
its feathers seemingly aflame in gold and scarlet;
the beduins\' song haunts me when the night falls,
the suddenly icy desert chilling to the very bone.
Harsh and beautiful,
to kill or perish,
proud men and women,
dark eyes staring arrogantly into mine behind veils of indigo and carmine.
I watch the sparks from my lonely campfire
swirl into the sky like a thousand crazy fireflies.