Larrea tridentata roots drink deep
Creosote resin cuts the heavy sleep
Silver halide waits in metal dark
Light writes slow on emulsion's arc
Asphalt ribbon cuts through ocotillo spines
Fouquieria splendens draws sharp lines
Mile markers fade in argon heat haze
Horizon shimmers through the longest days
Frame thirty-six guards the open road
Carnegiea stands where heat erodes
Aperture wide for the final kiss
Light seals slow in the silver abyss
Sprocket teeth grip transparent time
ISO frozen at four hundred prime
Viewfinder frames the white center line
Heat distorts where the tan lines twine
Frame thirty-six guards the open road
Carnegiea stands where heat erodes
Aperture wide for the final kiss
Light seals slow in the silver abyss
Shutter spring winds tight with tension
Developer waits in chemical suspension
Fixer bath will stop the fading
Wash tank runs the image retaining
Tumbleweed crosses at mile twelve
Sclerolaena rolls no need to delve
Tire treads press deep in caliche crust
Desert pavement returns to dust
Canister seals with a hollow click
Latent image waits growing thick
Grain structure blooms in patient grace
Thirty-six frames in this hollow place
Frame thirty-six guards the open road
Carnegiea stands where heat erodes
Aperture wide for the final kiss
Light seals slow in the silver abyss
Shutter closes the roll is done
Desert keeps what the light has won
