Arava desert                            January 1993

Shabat shalom

The rocks lie restlessly under the Golden Penny,

The sun devalued.

The Acacia surrenders to defeat -

Tears rolling from her shriveled leaves and fragile thorns.

The puffy clouds bearing blue helmets

Find no homage in the pale skies of the Arava.

The icy Jordanian wind filtrates my base

Terrorizing once warm fearless nights.

Dead, hollow spiders cling transparently to once geometric webs,

And wagtails enumerate on the twisted barbed wire.