Half sonnet for Harney county

tears and hot spring water
look a lot alike if you don’t peer too closely -
though a solid honest look
(but not a brutal one) may be required.
the desert can seem so empty, they say.
let the buzzard soar on, let the wind sigh,
let the sand that blows in blow right on out.

let this be that: there may be a place for clichés after all.