the middle of the road

having come a
long ways,
i need to lie
down for awhile.
to catch my
breath and to
reassess things
right here in
the middle of
the road that
runs like a
black ribbon
through the white
sand of this
desert. and
the coyotes come
close, the deer
and lizards,
the praire dogs
on their hind legs,
the toads and
turtles all appear
to see me lying
in the road.
even the vultures
fly down on
great black wings
to stand on their
nervous yellow claws.
they don't know
what to make of
me, but leave me
alone. they inch
in closer though
to watch, they want
to see how this all
turns out.