Home » Poems » Bj Legros Kelley » Little Town in the Desert

Little Town in the Desert




                            We settled down in a little town

                                    Nigh on thirty years ago

                                    The stars shown bright

                               In the deep dark desert night

                                Far away from the city's light


                                    I bought some seeds

                            Fought a war with tumbleweeds

                               That would roll on into town

                                   And my flowers grew

                             Beneath skies of bluest blue

                                           Yesterday...

                                       Thirty years ago


                              Way out west the city did her

                                          darndest best

                                To sprawl on eastward toward

                                               The hills

                                    Then the builders came

                                       And this town just

                                          Ain't the same

                                 As it was thirty years ago


                         We settled down in a little town

                                 Far from all those city lights

                          As I look around, I am now confound

                               In the midst of them tonight

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Ann Foster

Date: 12/29/2024 8:42:00 AM

"fought the tumble weeds..." haha... I understand this very well... Excellent poem... Thought provoking... and pictures are imagined vibrantly... to the reader... Well done... Ann

Sally Eslinger

Date: 12/28/2024 8:45:00 PM

Ahhh, Bj, i understand your lament. You know, i’ve never had a view of the night sky filled with stars except inside a planetarium! Perhaps sadly, i nevr will…This poem really touched my heart. Hugs!

Bj Legros Kelley
Date: 12/28/2024 9:15:00 PM

Oh Sally, that must be so hard never to have had a view of the night sky filled with stars. I felt so blessed to have been able to mostly live in rural area far from town for the most part. The US is so big and sprawling that I have taken it for granted. As the states where I have mostly lived all of my life have seen a huge population influx, it is becoming more and more rare. I wish you could have the opportunity to enjoy the lovely view. I lived in New York as a very small child and lived directly next to the Niagra River bordering Canada, so we even had those lovely stars there. I'm afraid it will be a thing of the past for many now, Urban sprawl is terrible.

Sam Kauffman

Date: 12/28/2024 8:01:00 PM

Nice job, BJ! Watching the rural beauty overrun is a truly sad experience. Blessings for the New Year!

Bj Legros Kelley
Date: 12/28/2024 8:21:00 PM

Yes, it is heartbreaking. I saw it happen in California where I lived as a child, and it was so hard to go back and see the changes. Finding our beautiful little town hedged in by the other towns and big cities...all city. The beautiful farms and orchards were gone, and I never have been back to see it since. Now, here it is happening in Arizona. Breaks my heart. I feel so bad for the animals and beautiful vegetation sacrificed for big urban houses squished together so close the people who live in them can reach out their windows and shake hands with each other. The desert tortoises burrowing in the ground, all the wildlife rooted out, if they're lucky enough to get out safely. Even snakes don't deserve this, so very sad. I am truly heartbroken for them all. Blessings to you too Sam. May 2025 be filled with many blessings for you and your loved ones <3

Kim Rodrigues

Date: 12/28/2024 5:29:00 PM

Lovely right and a fave! Happy New Year, Bj!

Bj Legros Kelley
Date: 12/28/2024 8:00:00 PM

Aw! Thank you Kim, what a sweet honor! :) Happy new year to you as well. I pray it is truly blessed with lovely Fruit, and all those in Whoville, as well as for you and the lemons and apples, may you all be richly blessed :) Just read your poem a while ago, I know you know what inspired my reply. I love the poem. Hugs to you!

Sotto Poet

Date: 12/28/2024 12:34:00 PM

This is an exceptional poem about the passing of time and the changes that come with it, notably the transition of a once-quiet town into a crowded region as a result of urban growth. It evokes nostalgia's simplicity and beauty, as opposed to the present's overwhelming progress and development. I hope your normal muses return to work so that we may continue to appreciate your beautiful ideas. I wish you a very happy New Year.

Bj Legros Kelley
Date: 12/28/2024 3:05:00 PM

Thank you Sotto. I really miss the good ole days. This area was all ranches and town was so far away, and now here it is upon us, surrounding us and continuing North, South, East and West. My dad told us more than fifty years ago this would happen, but I didn't believe it to be possible that one day we would wonder when we would enter a new city as they were all merging. It is happening. He was a very wise man. Well, I don't think we can outrun the machine, so I guess we're 'City Folk' now :/

Victor Buhagiar

Date: 11/30/2024 2:24:00 AM

Always appreciated when something abandoned is adorned with beautiful plants.

Bj Legros Kelley
Date: 12/28/2024 3:02:00 PM

Thank you Victor :)

Gershon Wolf

Date: 11/28/2024 8:46:00 PM

Beautifully woven, Bj. I can just picture the wonder -- both the wonderful of the earlier years and the 'wonder what happened' of 'lately.' Keep 'em coming, my friend! ~ Gershon

Bj Legros Kelley
Date: 12/28/2024 3:01:00 PM

Thank you Gershon. I thought maybe we had outrun the city, but she is greedy, incorporating little towns, swallowing them up and naming roads after what once was. I do miss the good ole days. They are building across the road from us and torn down the lush desert. I am so sad, but, thats the way things go. The cities just keep growing, and the wild animals and lush desert plants pay the price. They once paid that toll for me too, but I digress :) I wish they would stop the urban sprawl. Take care of the inner cities and keep decay at bay instead of the stampede to the outskirts.