Kingdom

urban minds sinking in desert sands
a brush with You-Know-Whom

remember the cities?
they were like great blankets
death was wedged and hidden
in their knots and folds
protean & invisible & organised

in the dry riverbed
it doesn’t have to hide
it runs wild and free
in the clouds of fine ashes you left in your wake
in the dust you picked up in every pocket, shoe, bag, and every crack of your body
in whitewashed bones in impeccable horns in immaculate teeth
in stones cracked open in waning puddles
in parched earth and palm
in withering grass and eyes
in the shimmer of horizons
in desiccated trees in corpses in dung in shadows
in thirst in exchanged glances
in you and me

that’s what you thought
every time we got stuck
in the wilderness
(which happened quite a few times)