As I rode out alone at dawn

across a sandy desert track,

I came upon a weathered sign

all cracked and gray, words painted black.

 

The sign said “Nowhere,” nothing else,

and left me staring in surprise.

I blinked and wondered where it led

and wiped the trail dust from my eyes.

 

“Is that a town?” I asked myself,

and puzzled at the fleeting thought.

Old ghost towns and abandoned mines

were everywhere, so I was taught.

 

There’s just one way to know the truth.

I shrugged and took the turn ahead

through cholla, sand and creosote,

across an arid river bed.

 

I rode about a mile or two

in total silence, not a sound,

just turning here and turning there

along the parched and dusty ground.

 

I stopped and eyed the open range,

saw poppies on a distant hill.

A rattler slithered on a rock

to bask away the morning chill.

 

“This trail must lead to somewhere close”

 I thought while picking up my pace.

Then there atop a gentle rise

a marker pointed: “Nowhere Place.”

 

I took the trail the marker showed

and wandered on to meet my fate.

Up through a rugged mountain pass

I found an ancient pasture gate.

 

Beyond the gate I saw a shack,

a miner’s home, a run-down shed

with crumbling walls and sagging roof.

The miner must have long since fled.

 

And then I saw another sign,

Not indicating anywhere.

It pointed east and pointed west,

To “Here” and “There” and “Ev’rywhere!” 

 

I blinked and scrutinized the sign

then saw, tacked there upon the wall

beside the weathered cabin door,

a miner’s note that simply read:

 

“You’re now in downtown ‘Nowhere Place,’

the Devil’s Den, his dusty hole.

I took the gold that I had dug

and left this place to save my soul!

​

You’ll never find my hidden mine
by following my final track,
so, hit the trail and ride away
and never think of turning back.

 

The gold is gone, the mine played out.

You’ll never, ever strike it rich,

and worst of all, you’re bound to see,

this tale has one last subtle hitch.

 

The trail you’ve followed never ends,

and winds forever through the land,

back to your starting place once more,

a desert maze, all rocks and sand.

 

The ‘Trail to Nowhere’ is just that.

It twists and turns around and ‘round,

but somewhere there’s a clear way out

that someday surely will be found.

 

So try to find that secret route

before you find a dusty grave

in middle Nowhere, in this maze.

I thank you kindly… Desert Dave.”

 

Well, I was lucky, that’s for sure

because I fin’lly found my way,

and with relief I thanked the stars

as I rode home at dusk that day.

 

But every now and then I think

I’ll try to find that place again,

and maybe find my pot of gold

in Nowhere Place… the Devil’s Den!