How beautiful it is
When the rising sun
Envelopes mesas
In a blushing smile

Peachy clouds –
A veil of mist –
Spill across the sky:
A new day’s promise to Earth
A blooming desert rose

The world pauses
Dawn takes
Slow, deep breaths

Down in the canyon
Prickly pear stands guard

A lone coyote’s howl
Pierces the sacred silence
Wandering through
Sandstone cliffs

As sky-bound jasper
Smiles gold,
Its warm veins melt into
Mesa and stone

Along the unveiling horizon
Where desert meets the sun
The southwest sky
Crowns the Earth
With its gemstone diadem:
Turquoise