2 Poems by Don Edwards

Joshua Tree

It’s the silence at first that declares the indifference of the place
Without sirens, absent cell phones — no music or lawnmowers.
Then a sudden blur of light coats all in its orange obsession.
The panorama is immobile colored sequential by the surrounding air.

Life is there — little life — lizards, cottontails.
These skitter and hop across the surface and through the enveloping quiet
Each absorbing the character of sand and the portent of dusty scrub
Which, arid and empty of emotion, awaits the moment to strike.

With boulders scattered across its gritty girth, solid and smooth,
An old man’s worried pate rises from the sandy depth
A sunning place for lizards, radiating the energy of the place
A sandy dome in a hot quiet world of suspect peace.

Here is empty and independent of thought or concern
Nearer to the stars than the moon is, closer to the end than a last breath.
Each step is laid careful — thoughtful and precise
Since the threat is real of an insubstantial, unctuous, and omnipresent maw.

One must pass through the gate with coin in hand — one final requirement
No line no waiting, no one else to ride, no others but rocks airless and hot.
We are desert sand tinted by the light of our environs
Anomalous in puddles that evaporate with each day, leaving desiccated veins shrunken and splayed.

Sandy domes piled high become mountains of random skulls hard and dry.
These beckon the newly arrived to lounge in their minimal shade for awhile
Until the world is familiar and the light less dramatic
Until this world which is the end startles less and becomes familiar.


I Remember Running

I remember running toward the distant light
While those around me scatter into darkness,
Running as I must to make another flight.

Because someone’s got to else we’ll all go down in flames.
I’m the one to do it though you don’t yet know my name.
We’ll go through together ‘gainst the wind and beneath the blaze
Finding our way as we struggle in the ever-mounting haze.

Running as my memories fill the air
Running as moments hurry by in flashes
Running as darkness hides whatever’s there
Buried beneath the smoke and the raining ash

Yes I am still running toward the light ahead
Running to stop the danger, to quench the fear
And to rid you of all the impending dread.

I thought to myself — God Almighty, will you be there
Buried out in the distance beneath a granite prayer?
Will I see your face before the end of the long night’s trudge?
Are you waiting there in cool silence to be my final judge?

Running as my memories fill the air
Running as moments hurry by in flashes
Running as darkness hides whatever’s there
Buried beneath the smoke and the raining ash

Always running through this barren landscape
Of the shiny-bright frightening night,
Am I coming closer to your perfect ending?
Am I standing tall enough to pass under?
Lord, I’m running as fast as I can.
If it’s not enough, please let me see
And I’ll try to find a better way.

Running as my memories fill the air
Running as moments hurry by in flashes
Running as darkness hides whatever’s there
Buried beneath the smoke and the raining ash


Bionote

Don Edwards lives and writes in Seattle. He is also a founding member of True Gospel Bookstore, which makes songs of his poems for streaming. www.truegospelbookstore.com