Concealed Oasis

A wretched desire splinters my heart, longing to return home,

To rolling fields laced with poppies, to flaxen petals frolicking

On a late September gale, to dewdrops entangled with childhood 

Innocence, licking the soles of my calloused feet as I gaze toward

A dusty horizon smudged with lilac and strands of fading auburn, 

But I cannot indulge my yearning, for home no longer exists

Except in the hallowed oasis of my mind. 

Audra Burwell