right hand pointing

Three-fourths of it

loom below ground level.

It began as a mine shaft

but was quickly deserted

for another site.  The portion

above ground is adobe brick,

a six-foot high mesquite door,

and horizontal windows

on three of the four walls.

The roof is corrugated iron;

the floor, uneven Mexican tile.

Irene says she and Helga wallow

in the belly of Mother Desert,

regarding their humble abode

as a “dress rehearsal” for Death:

a living grave bathed here

and there with the light

of sun, moon, and star.