“25 million years of tides that only went out, cacti replace coral, rattles replace fins”; Guadalupe Mountains National Park

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By Mia Hall

500,000 bats with twice as many wings, flying against the shape of time.

500,000 bats out silencing a fractional crowd, bringing the sound of rain to a cloudless desert.

25 million years of sun and heat and air, a fish out of water, a shell stuck in stone.

25 million years of tides that only went out, cacti replace coral, rattles replace fins.

1300 souls keeping secret their mighty faiths, dwelling in the temporal fourth world.

1300 souls digging holes in walls and in floor,
Snaked caves and warning hands. Talking walls encompassing.

1453 miles and the frame starts to crack,
The image keeps expanding and I am so small.