Desert Dysphoria

new mexico desert
It was my first time in the New Mexico desert
and I was hoping for inspiration to write,
but had never felt so small or dried up.
That heat.
That dusty, arid landscape.
Muted grays.
I couldn’t think in words. Only my body spoke, desperate for the relief of shade, eyes searching the horizon for an exit, panic rising.
And then a thought drifted in, steadying me, comforting me: No wonder the desert was chosen over the pyramids, mountains and
ocean for revelation.
The place where we first caught a glimpse of the divine.
Where we could see ourselves,
beyond our selves.
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