Desert shrines were canonical
before the Deluge.
The bamboo and fronds of their mouths
waved well in the sun,
and the strength of their arms shunned
the devilish romances of swift gales.
Oh, the heaths of the shrines
warmed the heart of the ancient world,
who brought the Rainbow as a gift! ...

And the shrines were holy
and kept the peace;
befriended the skies; flirted
with the blessings of furry, velvet clouds
and slept and rose with the vagaries of
a wild world.

But one day
the sun went suddenly wild;
the clouds in flamebursts tore off
their rain garments...

Deluge!

A watershed in the history of
Desert and her shrines.
Cannons boomed in the Deluge,
shook the roots of Desert
with the perdition of Pompeii
lying in one stretch of sleep...

And the shrines came crumbling!