means swapping one type of heat for another. A bead of sweat rolls over my chest, around my belly and evaporates so quickly I forget Im sweating. Body chemistry changes like the color of my skin: from yellow to sienna. My sister says, its a dry heat. At dusk, lightning storms over the mesas. Violets and grays lie down together. Mountains are the color of fathers hands, layers of darkthen light. People move west to die, retire in a life of dust, trade the pollen of the south for a thin coat of grit, the Arizona desert promesas, promesas. We stop on the outskirts of town and think about being reborn. When he places his mouth near my mouth because hes so obviously thirsty, when he moves to the well where my tongue spouts out because were mostly made of water two-thirds of me is certain: este infierno vale la pena. This hell is worth the risk.