Exquisite, the hour when lightning tries
to rouse the night in Arizona.
Cacti remain aloof, there is no moon.
While on the other side of Time,
a golden princess plays with her macaw.
Red feathers bright against her skin, against her green
ribbon, her pale flesh-coloured dress.
Such warmth in the air, such heat; her bare arms glisten.
The macaw has learned to answer back in Latin.
In Latin. Can you believe it? 
Outside her window, a panther waits for its chance.