Dust was rising
Dry earth disturbed by the children's mud-crusted feet
They were running
Chasing a ball in a never ending game
There are no winners, there are no losers
Just players, kicking back and forth
Back and forth again
Around and around until the world was ceasing to spin
Their shouts were echoing
Filling the desolate expanses of the desert night
Before I knew it, I was running too
I was not trapped in their endless cycle
I was escaping, fleeing into the expanding desert night
My burden was shed as I was running
Their noise was growing fainter
Blood was pumping through my veins
My feet were kissing the dry, cracked earth
A cold wind was running its icy fingers through my hair
My breath was becoming a steady rhythm
The beating drum to my march
Inhale
Exhale
I stop
The silence penetrates
It's a peaceful sense of nothingness
The desert is still
Silence rings in my ears
It pierces tiny needles into my skull
I stand in awe
Totally engulfed in the soundless void of joshua trees and sagebrush
Bright moon against indigo painted sky
It's beautiful
It's terrifying
The shouts of the children were chasing me into my solitude
They were gently tugging my hands
Gently leading me back into the heart of the night
