No Time to Fall - Sept. 16, 2025

birdsong, a morning memory now

the ants have punched out,

sidewalk cleaning done for the day

everyone and everything

is already under cover

as the sun swings higher

I stop for a second, pull a breath

halfway through my oven silent walk

late morning here

is how many think of the desert

lone cactus with tumbleweeds

endless windswept sand

and a searing sun baking

a skull with open jaws,

showing a horrible end

I yell to my walking friend

across the street

don’t fall!

He nods and smiles,

knows I’m kidding,

as I stumble, ever so slightly