Sandstorm
By Brandon Marlon
A fortnight from their oasis destination,
wayfarers collapse amid dunes swirling
with the onset of seasonal bluster
heralding a truculent tempest on the horizon,
potentiated by a candent orb
whose rays ablate the weary.
The anarchic clime renders their complexions
sallow and blowsy, their brows rugose.
Once adipose, tabescent beasts pule
one last plaintive time then succumb
in the airless waste turned charnel,
their entera putrefying beyond recognition.
When weeks from now winds subside
and blanched bones are exhumed,
no necropsy will be deemed necessary
by aghast beholders who,
traversing a landscape sculpted anew,
mutter thanks for gentler fortunes.
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Brandon Marlon is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. He received his B.A. in Drama & English from the University of Toronto and his M.A. in English from the University of Victoria. His poetry was awarded the Harry Hoyt Lacey Prize in Poetry (Fall 2015), and his writing has been published in 185+ publications in 25 countries. www.brandonmarlon.com.