Dragonfly Bones (27 page)

I'm alone on my own,

On a road with no map to where I'm going

But my ambition's growing

Not knowing where I'll end up but welcoming adventure

And freed from dependence indenture

Rid of my affliction

Ritalin addiction

I center my mind on steps, not sure what I'm going to find next

As I climb this hill I'm resigned to let

Things unfold, unsure of some of the things I've been told

Or what the future might hold

I've decided to escape my fate

Can't sit around and wait

For something I don't know, with ten miles to go

On a cold desert road, with my mind in a mode

Dwelling on the fact that

The futures a dream you can never get back

…Once you get there

So I'm taking small steps with my eyes on

The western horizon

Even when the sun's rising I'm trying

To envision a sunset that hasn't come yet

And a truth that I've been denying

On a path that I've been defying

As I pass another butterfly flying

I'm thinking about a place where my heart can rest

And my mind can be resigned to consider the time

While I'm taking my time instead of racing to find

A world that I'll never get ahead of

I'm keeping my head up

And looking to begin from all I've taken in

Too many mistakes to make amends

Too many enemies to be making friends easily

Too many times that I think I might have acted unreasonably

With the weather unseasonably cold and gray

I'm trying to stay warm and weather each storm that unfolds this way

Like a normal day from the comforts of home

With a life that's my own, organically grown

In the garden of variety, I try to be satisfied

And abide by the ratified guidelines

That decide my immediate timeline

I find mine unstable

And though I've put many things under the legs of the table

I'm unable to balance, lacking the talent of contentment

At length meant harboring resentment

To maintain my strength to escape the entrenchment

From a life, that I'm not sure I like

I'm tired of rolling the dice

And about to start selecting my slice through listening to my own advice

Written by Kwame Harrison, AKA Mad Squirrel

I
owe great debts to many people for helping me with this book. One of the true joys of writing a series character comes from real insights from fans and new contacts in Arizona. Their comments made for real challenges and changes.

Two people provided so much help that I've used their names as characters. Ian S. Friedlander helped enormously with Arizona prison details. Ian is a Special Investigator in the Criminal Investigations Unit, Arizona Department of Corrections. Rich Thompson, a mineral physicist in Tucson, helped with details about archeology, paleontology, and bones. The fictional characters bearing these names are entirely my own.

Carol Ellick, of Statistical Research, Inc. in Tucson, provided essential guidance about NAGPRA, the Arizona Burial Agreement, and many other details of recovering ancient bones and artifacts. Carol also introduced me to other people in this field, including Dave Winchester, Park Ranger at Casa Grande National Monument.

Kwame Harrison wrote original rap lyrics, after delighting and convincing me that alternative hiphop/rap and rap music offered more than gangsta/thug material.

Thanks also to Theresa May, Nancy Priest, and Rosemary Pooler, for their insights and support.

Sarah Durand, my exceptional editor at Morrow/Avon, offered continual guidance and made key suggestions about
both plot and character. More thanks to my agent, Jessica Lichtenstein.

And finally, my gratitude to the EMT crew of Green Valley, Arizona, and the ER and ICU staffs at St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson. Without them, I might not even be here.

Although most place names are real, this is a work of fiction. All mistakes are mine alone.