Desert

Gentle Earth, I beg of you –

Whisper to us the first sign of spring.

Annul this wintry despair

And a season of life anew, bring.

From the depths of Baja

Carry the warmth in upon a draft.

Poke the sunshine through grumbly clouds

And send it down as a gilded shaft.

Clothe the desert with the raiment

Of fleeting sheets of white rain.

Implore the wildflowers that they

Bestow upon us a fantastic display.

Help the button-face of the brittlebush

Peep over the dead, crumpled brush.

Bring forth the canyon penstemon.

Make the Mexican lime cactus flush.

With one stroke of rain

Paint the delicate creosote yellow.

Order the Engelmann's cactus to raise

Their trumpets of fuchsia and blow.

Tempt forth the birds to sing – listen!

I beg, usher March in.

~~~~~~~

Spring days like these

Were made for katie ruellia –

Who is royalty among flowers –

Robed delicately in purple.

She's arrived at the festivities –

The trumpeters blow a sennet.

Her crown is the leaves;

The butterflies – her subjects.

~~~~~~~

Coming from within a rising hedge

Of voluptuous white oleander –

I sensed a turmoil; one writhe

Seduced better than before

And within the naked boughs

Of some palo verde – in a rustle

Of few leaves – I thought I saw

Among them a potential

So quick and sullen, I almost not

Deemed it worthy a mention

Until a lone grackle squawked

That vernal suspicion

Then the wind flirted with a sage

Whose mane shimmied – fervid –

As if the breath of Earth had encouraged

Spring to dance for him.

~~~~~~~

SWEET CRICKETS

Sweet crickets, the tune

You're playing tempts me to sleep.

By your tune, I will drift off

Better to a place dark and deep.

The low moon and toads

As well as I are your audience.

Why, even the saguaro blooms

Have opened with interest!

The night will soon bend over

And kiss my eyelids closed.

From Earth's port into the sky

Of oblivion, I will go.

But should I judge your tune

To be my favorite solace

Promise me you'll return

One night to play for me again.

~~~~~~~

Good morning, fair cardinal –

How are you?

How are your children?

Your plumage is nearly outdone

By the sun's golden hue.

The mattress is firm –

My blanket is coolly sheer.

What's that?

Come outside, be with us?

Sorry, my bed is too cozy a lair.

~~~~~~~

What a brutal sun that assaults the cliffs

Where cacti and mescals dare to abide!

Here and there, dozens of petroglyphs

Decorating the canyon may be espied.

In large nesting circles neatly drawn

In evaporating wisps and bold squares

In a sun to give thanks for every dawn

In little starbursts and stick figures

In a deer, in an eagle looking strong

In a war scene kept by the ancients –

It remains unsaid – time is not long

But to a murky end, everything drifts.

~~~~~~~

Glowing by the moonlight pallor

Are the circles of coyote eyes

Hovering above ground - pair by pair -

Wandering like restless sprights

Seeking for one who's lost their way.

Their banter touches my heartbeat;

My stunted breath rolls out - and I -

I'm glad for their roving company

Near my small chasm where I hide -

But not lost - just gone astray.

~~~~~~~

Behold the marvelous wildflowers!

How they boldly carpet a sloping glen –

Our gift from Earth's seasonal showers.

Hardly is the desert recognizable

Come March to an untrained eye when

Spring has announced herself in full

Except for occasional saguaros –

The perennial observers to this annual display –

Perched on the precarious ledge they chose.

Penstemon and globe mallow are in glee;

Even the palo verdes celebrate

By showering the ground with yellow confetti.

~~~~~~~

Neither one waiting at the bend

Nor stationed upon the hill

Was present to make offense

Or entertain some evil will.

A breeze came, another went -

Rattling the bursages

As a creeping serpent

Going into hiding does.

If I died right here -

How many lonesome clouds -

How many foraging birds

Would pass by before I was found?

Would the beloved sun

Care to kiss me good-bye?

Would the angels of the canyon

Guide me on my flight?

~~~~~~~

April – breezy and demure –

Make yourself at home.

I've kept some tea warm.

Here is a seat of nature –

A trunk on which to sit.

The birds announced your arrival

By chirp and warble –

I'd been waiting for it.

I saw wildflowers in full flush

Arrive just ahead of you.

The bees buzz as if to say "hello"

And throng around the brittlebush.

Company is such excitement!

Show me your light winds –

Stir them up in the mountains

But thirty days – then what?

Oh, pretty April – do not go –

You are one of my favorite guests.

Stay for a few months –

May calls but burns me so.

~~~~~~~

TRIOLET #1

The Arizona Queen of the Night –

She is a most mysterious flower –

The one seen dancing in the moonlight.

The Arizona Queen of the Night –

In a pale gown, appears near June's height.

Have you been lucky enough to see her –

The Arizona Queen of the Night?

She is a most mysterious flower.

~~~~~~~

SUMMER RAIN

Listen to the raging summer rain

Mercilessly battering the ground -

Drops bouncing like crickets all around.

What heights its descent has drained

Into the pools when it came unbound!

My head is made silent by the sound

And a sense of cleanliness will remain

After everything's been washed down

And the neighborhood streets have drowned.

Harder still it strikes the window pane -

'Tho a peculiar sun broke through a cloud.

So long as the raindrops continue to pound -

Listen to the raging summer rain!

~~~~~~~

Rather than talking to walls –

I'd prefer a saguaro

For the wisdom they know.

Centuries – they come and go –

Leaving mysteries unsolved

And the traditions Loss mourns

Told through centenarian eyes

Could straighten crooked lies

With some persuasion – surprise! –

Instead – they bristle with thorns.

~~~~~~~

By a gently flowing creek –

I saw a swallowtail flutter

About my head, as though meek –

And land softer than a feather.

He was large enough, I swear –

To sit in all of my hand.

He did not mind that I was there

Or that I was entranced.

Soon, a second butterfly

Distracted him by swooping down –

His mate, I surmised.

How fiercely they swirled around!

Then breaking up, they moored

To sup water from the red rock

Like two tasters of one accord

Complimenting the good stock.

They bathed in the glorious sun –

Posing candidly in a beam –

As if to show their dalliance

Off for the wide world to see

Then came a convenient wind;

The two undocked at bay –

And taking quick advantage –

They sailed playfully away.