Choosing Sand

He says take off your shoes and walk around, become grounded. 
When I hear this, I leave the plush, freshly mown patch of 
grass and clover where I am sitting,
so soft and tender on the feet
so strange in the ragged red rock of the desert
and go to the small section of barren sandy soil in the corner,
the one patch of the high desert’s natural ground 
missed by the landscapers.

It’s an odd choice because the grass is so delicious, 
so cool and refreshing,
but my feet have been in the sand, 
have the feel of canyon country already on them
have been loving the earth as it is in its stark state.

No grass that can offer that warmth,
that raw and ready rugged soil
full of the dry truth
my toes can hold or bury inside.

Between my legs
a purple aster in bloom 
feels the same. 

4 thoughts on “Choosing Sand”

  1. I was never a fan of getting my feet in dewey grass, only of walking barefoot in the creek on gravelly sand and jagged slate and rocky limestone. Sometimes I don’t realize how important being barefoot is!!! This was a nice reminder. <3

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