She trudged long weary miles of desert sands
Beside her mate as they left ease to find
A newer, untamed hearth. Her homing mind
Found solace in her baby's clinging hands;
In dreams of living once again in lands
Where gardens grow, where sheltering trees are kind.
One sultry day a sunstroke left her blind,
And fear squeezed at her heart with tightening bands.
Her sight did not return; yet willing feet
Found strength to journey on. Her baby's cry,
Its need, renewed her courage. Inner pain
That stunned her heart was eased as hope made sweet
Her loss. Each day beneath the burning sky
She joyed because they would not move again.
