This Is My World Poem by Juan Olivarez

This is my world, high on this mountain.
The wind whispers to me, constantly.
It is so peaceful here, so quiet,
I am one with the desert all around me.
Far away to the north,
Is the Marine base.
My son is there.
Far, far, to the northwest,
Is the house.
My wife is there, and my grandchildren.
God has blessed this high place,
With infinite beauty.
Blue mountains far to the north,
Nevada is that way.
To the west a red and purple sunset,
Behind the slumbering giant,
Covered with snow.
Ravens and crows, make their way to their homes,
Their day is done.
In the surrounding hills,
The coyotes intone their songs.
The jackrabbits and the cottontails,
Keep a watchful eye, lest they be caught unawares.
And then the sun drops behind,
The white peaks in the west.
The Joshua trees become like,
Gigantic warriors in the dark.
And yet I will not leave.
Never in my life,
Have I felt such peace.
Night approaches fast,
And I have a long way to go,
Before I rest.
But my desert is cool now.
The breeze from the dreaming west,
Caresses my face, and blows through my hair.
Slowly so slowly,
I descend from my mountain,
And regretfully leave my world behind.
Tomorrow I shall return,
If God so wishes.

4/5/10 Written in Twenty Nine Palms California