DESERT:

I feel we need a bit of space so we are going into the desert. We are mounted on ships of the desert, camels. We are in a line, one in front of the other, led by an Arab guide. Our mounts undulate as they plod along the never ending sand, & we give over to the soporific swaying which calms us & gives us a chance to observe the apparently empty space around us, but is it empty? The endless sky above, a cyan blue that is continued through our garb, robes that cover us from head to toe, leaving only our searching eyes visible. The all enveloping air is hot & very, very white. There is a circle of vultures close to the sun, dancing with the thermals, round & round, forever vigilant at what is happening below them. Below the hot yellow sand there is constant movement, a snake, a scorpion, a lizard, a beetle, little creatures surviving where we cannot even see nor imagine. The dunes constantly shifting, changing shape before our eyes leaving us magically disorientated. The night arrives suddenly without warning just as we see an oasis of green trees. When we enter this paradise of cool ponds & waving fronds of date palms we dismount to let our camels rest & slake their thirst. We are led into a beautiful jaima where we sit on jewelled coloured cushions & we are served refreshing mint tea in little gold glasses, sweetened with date sugar. We are also handed a plate of carob biscuits to accompany our tea. As we sip in silence we contemplate the starry heavens, the heavily pregnant full moon suspended by magic, & the space, all that space, and we feel so very small. In the bigger picture, no problem is really that important & this is something the desert has taught us. Enjoy your day.