Whoa, a guitar waltz!
I am reminded of all of the old classical guitar CDs that I have- very moving arrangements. And yours is no less evocative of emotion. I also must say that the few instances of guitar slides you have in your song are quite convincing. If you did it in midi, then my hat's off to you- I could never figure out how to make slides in midi that didn't sound terrible.
I also like the progressions that you use. The entire piece is very flowing and pleasant to listen to; a little melancholy, and little hopeful, and a whole lot more. It sort of reminds me of ICO.
Finally, perhaps it's just me, but it seems as though this song conjures up images of open fields or Romany villages rather than a desert. By "one that tried and failed", were you referring to the song failing to capture the spirit of a desert? Or did the desert, itself, try and fail?...if that makes any sense.