Tim Gardiner
Mirage
Day by day, they say. He should be dead. Keep him well hydrated on the journey, the wilderness is an unforgiving place. Once you start crossing the desert, there’s no turning back. Be patient, travel at night, sleep during the afternoon to avoid the hottest conditions. After twelve months, I see a figure on the horizon: the indistinct shape of an old man, heat shimmering around a static frame.
while we watch
Lawrence of Arabia
in the nursing home
father complains
of the sun in his eye
About the Author
Dr. Tim Gardiner is an ecologist, editor, poet and children’s author from Manningtree in Essex, UK. He has been widely published in journals and anthologies. Former co-editor of the tanka prose section of Haibun Today with Tish Davis.
A well-crafted piece with the stunning image of “an old man, heat shimmering around a static frame” that matches the poster of Lawrence of Arabia. Also, there seems to be a juxtaposition between the traveler and the father figure.