I asked myself why I was here

I crawled up on this rock and looked out towards the setting sun

You were too far to see, or hear, or touch

But I remembered how you saved me

I wandered for what seemed like forever

Just retracing steps someone else took years before

My bare feet sank down into the cold sand

And I remembered what it was like to smile

The fires lit up like grounded stars accross the desert

I felt like the world had been flipped over

And looking up was like looking down

I never felt so high

The sun was rooted in the ground

And I felt the heat swirling up my leg

Through my arms, accross my face

A thousand memories coming home

Pillow cases and peppermint-tinged kisses

The spark that brought my tongue to life

A word crept through my numbing lips

As if to reaffirm my understanding of the miracle I'd just witnessed

"Mujer"

The stars crossed along the sands

Celestial seeds entwined in nature now cried out in praise of our union

Eyes closed, arms open

Forgetting ourselves, we played to our fantasies

The world flipped back, and the stars went up

The flames were dead, the ashes were gone

But the sands were alive, burning, reviving

Cold hands, warm hearts, and the sun all around us

I knew why I was here

I stepped back out and away from the fantasy

Away from the fire, the stars, and the dream

One hundred memories of you remain

One thousand kisses from one, from forever

One million reasons to live without blinking

I remembered how you said we shined

If we just thought about it

And I did

And I hoped you did, too.