we ended up lavished. seeing birds

that were new to us

gila woodpecker, cactus wren and the rosy-faced lovebird

but we enjoyed seeing others too. familiar

and the milky-way; a backbone bonfire with sparks

filling the sky on our way south

all the blessed hours. tracing sweetness

home the ordinary years of cold. dew. drifting seagulls. origin

left behind

a veil of distance [flares up or melt]

a fledging heart