echo canyon

Painted walls
like lines across palms
in the valley of the arid plateau -
voices echo through the heart of the canyon.

Waves of memory
like waves of ocean
crashing against the Gulf of Mexico,
against sun-drenched
ancient rock,
ever-changing.

The grain of your voice,
rich in its girth,
an embracing warmth -
your words only
faintly recognizable,
losing their form
every time you come to mind.

As summer fades
into the breezy sands,
and the canyon floods
with the waters of age,
only your voice
can be heard,
your words forgotten,
only your voice
washed to the surface.