Tattooed Jesus

'Whatever,' Mel replied. 'Look that way.' He impatiently pointed towards the eastern horizon.

When Fisher turned he saw the pink and orange glow that was illuminating the underside of the billowy clouds on the distant crest. All along the horizontal edge of the rugged landscape, was the glow of the radiant sun which had yet to peek above the hills in the distance.

'Nature's art gallery,' Mel said as he looked straight ahead.

Fisher drank more soda as he and Mel walked out a bit further, beyond the campsite and up onto a small rise that gave them an excellent view of the sunrise.

'Don't say anything Fisher, just watch the show.' Mel's voice was calm and smooth, almost somber. 'This is why we're here.'

Fisher blinked away the sleep that had crusted in his eyes, then washed some of his cola around in his mouth and spit it out. He took a long, cool drink from his can then, placing a hand in his pocket, did as Mel instructed. He shut up and watched.

Soon the glow around the clouds grew brighter and more incandescent as the approaching giver of light cracked the summit of the far reaches and a brilliant array of color, from pink to azure blue, splashed above the desert floor.

The silence was deafening as the two men stood witness to a spectacular show of unequaled natural beauty and glorious grandeur. As the clouds rolled and shifted, their colors broke and mixed. The ever rising sun changed the shades and tints, combining complexions of light and shadow to create an exquisite vision of natural marvel that Fisher had never in his thirty-odd years taken time to behold. The vivid hues blasted forth above and below the cloud line as the golden columns of warm sunlight erupted in every direction, causing the orange and purple wash to come together in a gleam of brilliant splendor.

Fisher and Mel both heard the screech of a hawk as it flew toward the sun, then banked in a wide, sweeping pan that exposed its underbelly to the sun's warming rays. The silhouette of the great bird seemed to hang in front of the scene forever before it swooped low then did an abrupt turn and again soared high to the clouds and away from the two men.

'The bird knows.' Mel whispered

Fisher watched the soaring bird and the resplendent view in front of him and never bothered to answer Mel for this was one of the only times he got the message without an explanation. This was a sight that is taken for granted by millions of people everyday the world over. Now, here he was, getting the full effect of the magic and mystery of nature's subtle perseverance.

This didn't seem like the beginning of a new day, but rather as though he were looking at a work of art and a master brush man had used a multi colored pallet to splash the landscape and illuminated it with a billion candles.

'That's what it's about Fisher. That right there,' Mel said as he pointed forward. 'That's what everybody's after. Not the company car or the corner office. But that right there in front of you.' Fisher felt a lump growing in his throat. 'It's rebirth. Life starts over everyday, right there. That's the flash point. When you can cradle that in your heart....nothing can ever really die.'

Again Fisher never bothered to answer because he knew Mel was right. That was what everyone was after....they just didn't know it. The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words was never more profound then at that exact moment. In Fisher's mind he saw the homeless people of the great cities sleeping on the streets. He saw the hustle and bustle of the grinding metropolises, the running, the scurrying and clawing that evokes such misery in their crime riddled streets. He could hear the sirens and the jackhammers, the screams and the car horns that dulled his senses almost to the point of nonexistence. He could smell the smog and smoke, and taste the pollution in his mouth as he got every word of Mel's meaning.

This is what life is supposed to be about....Not that!

The clean, dry desert air filled his lungs and he felt the sun shining on his face, and then he understood what Mel had truly meant the night before when he had said, ‘Keep what's important and let the rest be gone with the wind'. This was one of those things that are important in your life, and if it's not.....it ought to be.

The sun continued to climb ever higher in the sky, getting brighter and brighter until the fabulous colors were washed away and only the true white of the few clouds struck a drastic contrast against the bright blue of the New Mexico heavens.

They stood silently for several minutes, with only Mel's few comments breaking the vigil as they watched that magnificent spectacle unfold before them. As the sun grew hotter and brighter Fisher turned to Mel and said, 'If I had died without ever seeing that........' his voice failed him and he finished by shaking his head.

'That's just the first one Fisher,' Mel told him. 'And you can see it as many times as you want. You just have to know it's there.'