A tan drear expanse
Tannic sands grit the palate
Muddy the gums with crunch and scrape

Thirst-astride, heaving dust
Forlorn but determined
Lost but not afraid

At last, standing before the graven runes
Lines in stone by stone engraved
Rough and desperate, inspired by furor
Fingertipped retracing ruined mystery

A hand on the stone
The sand in the mouth
The eyes blind from Sun
The ears searing loud

The heart

The heart in the stars
In the black and the white
With the ticking of time
And the low hum of fate

The Opening comes to draw all forth