Navigating the Namib Desert

I am walking on salmon-pink waves

No end in sight

To the sea of sand

A body as endless

As my thoughts

And most dazzling dreams

The pinnacle of a nearby dune

Collides into the teal sky

A steep slope

And an ambitious hope

To reach its summit tonight

Time for water and rest

To wipe the prolific beads of sweat

From my ripening face

The torrid climate

Barren landscape

And seething sand

An unforgiving terrain

I’ll make it to the crest by sundown

When the sun floats on the horizon

Engulfing me in a tidal wave

Of crimson and apricot

The last step was the longest

And then I collapsed

Under the dense blanket of stars

My pillow the soft sand

And the chirps of nearby birds

My soothing lullaby

Lizards slither and ostriches gather

On one of the darkest nights

In the oldest desert in the world

My unforgettable African adventure

Katy Thompson
Block: 3
May 7, 2012