Preflight checklist glows on cracked gauge face
Thrusters cough awake in cooling space
Sandpaper runway stretches past the wire
Juniper scent rides the evening glare
Gauges climb steady green
Radio catches static hymns
Two souls wait in separate rooms
Same sky holds different moons
Desert runway calls us both by name
Pilot checks the pressure gauge
Runaway frames silver frames
Night blooms wild in Santa Fe
Film canister clicks in denim pocket
Bus ticket stubs line the motel socket
Veranda boards creak under bare feet
Coyote yips cut through the piñon heat
Gauges climb steady green
Radio catches static hymns
Two souls wait in separate rooms
Same sky holds different moons
Desert runway calls us both by name
Pilot checks the pressure gauge
Runaway frames silver frames
Night blooms wild in Santa Fe
Left hand toggles fuel to rich
Right hand winds the film stitch
Engine hums a low refrain
Shutter clicks in counter gain
Tarmac shimmers heat-retreat story
Viewfinder frames the morning glory
Both of us mapping gravity
Both of us chasing velocity
Desert runway calls us both by name
Pilot checks the pressure gauge
Runaway frames silver frames
Night blooms wild in Santa Fe
Tower clearance cracks through headset wire
Vacancy sign flickers amber promise
Wheels leave contact, rising higher
Lens catches what the night reveals
Desert runway calls us both by name
Pilot checks the pressure gauge
Runaway
