Once the frayed tow rope snaps,
you slow to the inevitable spin
that sends you onto the shoulder
over the embankment tumbling
down to the desert floor.
Don’t be too hasty to pull yourself
together, scramble to the road
and thumb for a bleary ride to town.
Instead, find shade from the glare,
an outcrop of solitude and silence
to puzzle out the pieces of your life.
And though it may take years,
watch for signs of healing:
That cactus against the sun
breaks into bright bloom,
the mouth of that dead animal
shrinks to a toothy grin.
 
Jes Simmons (used by permission of poet)