A sparrow
had turned in flight
away from the others
and had come to a land
parched by a cruel sun
where diamond-hooded cobras
and red-jawed iguanas
eat, rest, and wait.
His frantic wings
fought against a tide of demon winds,
and he rose high
above the shifting dunes
in search of an oasis.
He found none.
Wings failing
he fell toward a den of scorpions.
Then,
snatching him,
another sparrow came
and lifted him up,
thwarting the dark winds.
Because we are tended
we tend
one another.
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