Dust Devils

Dust devils dance across the cracked asphalt maze Sun a bleached skull in the sky, scorches dreams ablaze Got vultures circling low, whispers on the wind like knives They crave the taste of ruin, thrive on broken lives Tell me hope's a mirage, just a flicker in the dust Trade your prayers for silence, find solace in the rust Morality's a rusty chain, shackles in the sand So I dance with rattlesnakes, venom on my command Hope's a coyote's grin, mirage on the sand I play with fireflies, death in my hand Rust and rattlesnakes, whispers in the breeze Chasing desert demons on sun-scorched knees Cigarillo ashes dance like ghosts in the haze Coyote eyes gleam hungry, hunger I can't erase Lost highway stretches, a ribbon of white bone Chasing whispers of redemption, a melody unknown Sun bleeds crimson on the horizon, whispers in my ear "Turn back, sinner, find solace in dust, disappear" But I spit defiance, taste of rust on my tongue This cracked heart still beats, rebellion a battle song Hope's a coyote's grin, mirage on the sand I play with fireflies, death in my hand Rust and rattlesnakes, whispers in the breeze Chasing desert demons on sun-scorched knees Fireflies choked in my palm, dust settles on their wings Hope's last ember extinguished, the vulture chorus sings Vengeance, a poisoned chalice, lips drawn to its sting But the venom curdles within, no solace it can bring Sun's a pitiless hammer, forging fury to ash Sand swallows my defiance, a silent, grinding gash Coyote eyes in the starlight, laugh at my shattered pride This tomb of cracked asphalt, where even shadows hide Beneath the sun-baked bones, a darkness takes its root Whispers in the sandstorm, a melody macabre and brute This tomb's not made for silence, not for surrender's sting It craves a final echo, a dance the vultures sing Sun cracks the horizon, a crimson dawn's decree The vultures rise in chorus, and the desert sings with me