"you can't help but feel that tingle of fear, that fear of the unknown, that mystery. you like the feel of bare feet on warm desert rocks, the unexpected scent of night-blooming rose. you lie on your back with your hands across your eyes like blinders, making the world that much darker, then open them to reveal the sky. you do this again & again, and each time the sky is a little brighter, each time more peppered with stars. you stand & open your arms, savoring this window of darkness between the end of twilight & the waning moon's rise. you feel the breeze on your skin & in your hair, hear the sounds from the canyon of crickets & crows and the steady throb of some creature unknown; you feel utterly surrounded by natural night, by fellow creatures for whom this is home, none of whom care if you're here as long as you don't bother them, all of whom lend their voice to the song this night sings, saying wel-come wel-come wel-come, belong."
