Best Desert Poems
Prick me with your vivid green awareness
Let the white pins that needle me
Diminish into their foggy sham
The bridal wreath that scented our commitment
Now doused in unkept hopes and promises
Moss sprouting venom from hurts battled
Like a fish floating in space with no oxygen
I swam in currents without you
The tank occupied with endless dark clouds
Fraught with fear and loneliness
Love now submerged deep in the recess of my mind
Unclear what is sacred what is trash
I prayed you would see the light
That my white knight would return
This battle is fierce and yours to fight
A violent scene lay before me
Huddled in death, there’s Ella, Mary-belle, everywhere I could see
Swollen tongues, sunken eyes, frail bodies strewn in the hot powdery dirt,
I sniff the sharp stench of death, I catch my breath, swallow, stomach clenched, alert
Stark rocky outcrops, blister amongst the sharp needles of spinifex grass
Stones, sand and mica glints, ants scurry about their tasks
Red dirt, blue sky, sun bears down relentless upon the tin roof of the Station
Majestic hills, once coral reefs, the Chinamen pushed wheelbarrows up them, Dinosaurs, Indigenous people walked here long ago in my imagination
Soft bursts of purple feathery flowers of Mulla Mulla joyfully sway in the crisp air this morning, locked in the silent perennial embrace of that blue blue sky
Frivolous, dollies those desert girls, with their sweet smell and blush as I walk by
I think I’ll put a bullet in my head in that very spot
To die in such fine company, you make those tough choices on the land, easy as, why not
5,000 cattle dead, I’d cry, but there’s no more water in my eyes, in a blink, all gone so terribly wrong
I’ll sleep with my cows tonight, Ella, Mary-belle in the Mulla Mulla desert dreaming, on the land is where I was born and where I belong
Aimlessly I meander in expansive barren-landscape
Whipped by the assault of rustling windy gales
Embossing sandy designs resembling ocean waves
Simulating pools of water in mirage of seascapes.
Plateaus upon reddish hills reveal cracked earth
Where decaying mangled-trees in rising heat groan
As cobalt-blue sky yields to darkened dye of dusk
And blistering winds blur vision whirling sandy dust.
From the apex of ordinary I intently walked off
Letting thirst of quest confound my whereabouts;
Lost and hungry now, signs of life I strive for
Hearing the chirps of crickets and croaks of frogs.
Exhausted I fall besides flowering cactus plants
Hosting frightened thoughts of dehydrated pleas
Awakening to twittering sounds amid birdsongs
Rising in breeze from distant oasis of Joshua trees.
As the daybreak on hazy skies paints golden sunrise
Trekking for miles and miles audacity reaches hope
Dispensing staggering words incapable to explain
Dysfunction now longing for embrace of mundane.
September 30, 2018
First place in I wander the desert alone contest, sponsored by Edward Ibeh
Also, placed first in standard contest #140 by Brian Strand
NOTE: Joshua trees are found in Mojave desert in California.
This misty river, scented sweet
From bare land you enthrall,
To quench the evening's sultry heat
Beside your cooling wall.
Low tide lends splendor to this rite
To twirl upon the dew
Then lacquers every ledge with white;
And powdered shades of blue.
Tanned cacti swoon to windy breeze
Quite mellow to the ear,
And harmony's drooled chant can seize
This desert atmosphere.
. ............ . .
Short Form Contest; Brian Strand
8/6/8/6 syl count--rhyme
Out in the desert, late at night
The stars and moon are shining bright
The coyotes sing,
While crickets keep beat
Cool night's joy, replaces heat
The owl sets out on nightly quest
"Who, whoo's my meal?"
ever his jest
The man in the moon
witnessed escapes
Wild dashes
for thorn bush drapes
The merry stars
with twinkling eyes
Laughed at the hoot owl's
great surprise
Kangaroo rat leaps in delight
Out in the desert late at night
Sand dunes, nothing but sand dunes,
Some large, some small.
And the sun burning over the terrain.
No oasis, not even a mirage of one.
The last drop would not quench the thirst
He felt it in his soul. For now
She was dead and buried
And his soul was barren like the desert.
He would die, lost among the dunes
With no water for survival.
Fool. He could make it.
He was like an eagle.
Searching to drink water.
Yet he was no eagle and soon fell
Sand clinging to his face covered with sweat.
Opening his eyes he saw the viper.
All would be lost now.
A swish as a hawk picked the viper away.
He fainted and opened his eyes in a tent.
He was safe except for his silent sad soul.
Desert Rose
My Desert Rose in garden grows,
a flower soft and fair.
As sunshine streams its brilliant beams,
this beauty shows her flair.
Her petals bright red fades to white,
the throat a hint of gold.
Leaves shiny green, she’s nature’s preen,
a treasure to behold.
So opulent, this succulent,
and hardy to the heat.
In Texas sun, she’s just the one
to make your yard complete.
Her bright display will light your day,
her beauty always shows.
This blossom fair with so much flair,
my lovely Desert Rose.
June 23, 2019
Streaks of pink 'cross morning skies.
Land shaded lemon; last star dies…
Lightening blue spreads far and wide,
a half red sun. New dawn’s arrived.
This living desert yawns and wakes.
A foreign sparrow flits and takes
what morsel that darkness denied
to night feeders who now hide.
The sun begins its golden rise.
Shadows bear before my eyes.
Range of mountains now in view
look purple hazed and crumpled too.
A gentle breeze blows cool and soft.
A drifting hawk soars past aloft.
A static call echo's the morning.
Somewhere close, the first days warning.
There's golden bloom on mulga's face,
saltbush combines in shadow space,
a rabbit warren mounds the sand!
Three's company seems hand in hand.
The rugged hillside carved away,
gorged and furrowed brown and gray.
Eroded sand displays the shale,
where layered seams look to impale.
Tufted grasses dry and withered,
amongst that broken shale that slivered.
Stand out quartz already bright;
The rising sun turns glistening white.
A different swallow, black and white;
blue backed wrens dart out of sight.
Sunning now on walking tracks,
lay together; shingle backs.
And now the scene spreads far and wide,
to struggling wattle; sheer cliff side.
On closer look near at the base,
three kangaroos take a two-step pace.
Stillness lingers, there's an unknown call,
what bird is that? I love them all!
And the red plain grows beneath blue skies,
as the living desert welcomes sunrise.
Hot. . . white hot Sahara sand am I.
Turning, ever turning, how I burn
white. . . hot white beneath the desert sky.
In search of sweet relief, for you I yearn,
shifting, ever shifting, I’m a dune.
Each particle of me is filled with heat.
I roll beneath the sun of afternoon,
ever passion parched though time be fleet.
I’m drifting to the brink of mad desire.
Cool. . . blue cool, sweet pool that I pursue-
mirages that appear quench not my fire.
Blue. . . cool blue, my remedy is you.
I’m half a continent; my love is vast.
Reveal yourself, Oasis, at long last!
For PD's Your Best Love Poems ((old poems only)) Poetry Contest
A lean coyote chases a hare through
heat of desert winds. His swift doe
darts past my boots. They've managed
to escape, this time. He'll lead the chase
away another day.
I pause to watch the side-winder as he
considers a kangaroo rat, before moving
on between two century plants to a
rock ledge nearby. The tidy yellow rat
continues eating seeds, gleaning moisture,
never needing to sip drink in this dry
yet vibrant land.
The cactus wren with spotted breast
sits atop a prickly pear. The gilded
flickers' rosy cheeks and banded wings
are a colorful reminder of the beauty
I find out here. Their sturdy tails prop
them upright against a great saguaro,
carving out a hole for nest.
I crunch the tangy bulb of a white
desert lily whose green tendrils curl
on the ground. And here, as evening
cools walking back to my new home,
a silver moon illuminates my path. I
glory in this wondrous desert scene.
My aorta beats in golden poppies,
pulsing down slopes to pool
in a bruise of purple sage.
Though my eyes gleam
with lemon marigolds
snow caps of porcelain lupine
melt on my lashes,
undulating in a quiet tempest
of periwinkle asters.
Beneath a bluebell sky
the sun colors my cheeks
with the blush of primroses
as monarchs lilt
like birds of paradise
among velvet morning glories
and a shy alyssum breeze
caresses my emerald cloak.
3/26/19
Marathon Qualifiers Contest
Mark Toney
The full moon was half risen above the Earth
shining her nightlight across cooling desert sands.
She smiled, deep in thought and a sense of mirth,
"This could have been done with my own hands."
The grand landscape resembled a barren shore.
Sepia grains being slathered by rippling waves
without a trace of footprints, boat or an oar.
This sea had no depth to serve as watery graves.
No lush oasis springs from this seaside scene
nor cool stream to quench a traveler's thirst.
This Eastern dune held no date palms of green
and seldom witnessed is rain from a cloudburst.
Here, the moon does not control ebb and flow.
These tidal surges are guided by Mariah's wind,
where scorpions have no fear of an undertow.
A vast sea of sand where man feels chagrinned.
Stiff, stifling, arid air: snakes, lizards, sand,
and cactus. Scorched red rocks and baking skin.
My canteen empty in a barren land -
my romance landscape till first love walked in.
One summer evening under moon's cool beam,
the desert's xeric heat no longer cursed.
Lazing with friends. A pool... in walked my dream.
First glance: a tall, cool drink to slake all thirst.
Then as her eyes met mine, my blood ran warm.
My hand touched hers; both temp and pulse were raised.
In time, slow dancing - two bodies conform,
and with that first kiss, fulgent flames soon blazed.
The desert heat from which I'd just emerged
blithely returned, as first love's swelter surged.
Lost in the darkness
of my mind.
Not looking forward,
I was stuck behind.
Wanton whispers,
my body creaked.
I could not find
those things I seeked
The horse with blinders
that I rode,
ate from the seeds
that I had sewed.
It layed bloated
on the ground.
Beneath its hooves
no earth was found.
The sun there shone
upon my head.
I feared the valley
of the dead.
Tin cup empty,
my throat was parched.
Towards my doom,
the clouds were arched.
Then I felt
God’s gracious hand.
There was an escape
I had not planned.
His voice whispered
in my ear.
“Do not fear
for I am here.”
A new light grew
before my eyes.
I no longer believed
the devil’s lies.
There was safe passage
from the past.
A splendid future,
my horizon vast.
Sahara the world's largest - the strictest and warmest desert
It is an ocean without water - a place of fear blast knuckles on the desert floor
Eight nomads on camels shrouded in white cloth - only the eyes are visible
How can they find their way in a landscape without trails - no horizon
Once again the sun set - the camels will create nearly invisible tracks in the sand
The sand dunes are changing during the day
Experience the unusual beauty and exotic charm
There is so much that amazes and impresses
The hot sand is like flour and make the sky yellow misty and foggy solar disk
And the air quivers with intense heat - sand glistens in wonderful colors
15.09.2014
A-L Andresen :)
Copyright © All Rights Reserved
Contest Name : IN THE DESERT
Sponsor: Nette Onclaud
Deadline: 10/14/2014
- Thank you for my 7th place in the contest -