Come and see the bright wildflowers
Carpeting a sloping glen
And know that the desert endures!
Note how it's unrecognizable
Come March to the unaccustomed
When spring makes a spectacle
Except for some saguaros
That give the habitat away -
Standing on the ledge they chose.
Poppies and chuparosa beam -
Even the palo verdes celebrate
By tossing up confetti.
I always dreamed
of having the perfect best friend
a splitting image of King David's Jonathan
who would shower me
with rainwater of love, loyalty
and acceptance
until the end of time
every time I believed
I have found a Jonathan
I have ended up with a Judas Iscariot or a Jezebel
who would only take away my rainwater
and left me sun dried in the desert alone
to shrink and swell in my sadness
but I have found the most perfect friend of all
the one whose rainwater never dries up
but moisturize my dehydrated heart to life
from this present day until the end of age to come
Regret is my hopeful desert
Blooming prickly sorrows
Larger than saguaros
What ifs as vultures fly
As virga clouds pass by
Watering lapis mirages
Flowing to retro success
In a palm-limned oasis
Of dream-filled love and embraces
‘Til what ifs disappear with dawn
In time to rouse and mow my lawn
I met you in a season,
as I recall, it was cool;
we dated through the warmth,
not the hottest of the 4 --
Falls I can’t recall...cactus
have no leaves; and summer-heat
bakes away all thought --
Yet, deserts, though little water,
have an abundance of romance:
wet kisses between the barbs. I met
you in a season, 2 stray saguaros
locking arms.
When atmospheric rivers
Race cross the desert sky,
Saguaros lift their joyful arms,
Wind cheers through breath full sigh!
Tiny drops of rain, like mist
Kiss the thirsty lands,
Roots and twig and tiny leaves
Of Palo Verde stands.
Dry creeks wake from slumber,
Dead rivers rise and flow,
Where there was only dry parched ground
A few warm days ago...
When atmospheric rivers
Race 'cross the desert sky
The withered land rejoices,
And truly, so do I!!
I see your mane, in each passing cloud,
the smoky stallion’s poll to the withers,
its giddyup and gallop, at midday peak,
in this arid Tucson where cowboys trod.
On the open road, contented and sleepy,
I see the shadows that form like a blanket
over the mountains with their historic shapes -
points, arches, dips and waves corral me.
I see the buckets, saguaros, prickly-pears,
organ pipes, and stunning cacti blooms.
They pass me by in the wilderness, and
as I stroll the slithering dessert paths.
Smiling big on Tombstone’s dusty Allen street,
I look extra short, arm in arm with handsome
cowboys, in Cochise County, romanticising
the OK Corral, the Earps and Doc Holliday.
Modern Tubac with exuberant colors,
its crafts captivate and decorate
most homes North of Mexico’s border.
Turquoise Angel with Roses’ paintings, endearing.
Back in her Green Valley home - my relative
displays art from all over the world.
Her home showcases an adventurous past
and the calm and love of Jesus Christ.
3/9/2023
saguaros
guardians of the sonora
a battalion wafting
in one hundred degree heat
standing sentry on granite slopes
vertical green etches
in carmel cliffs
literally--litter the foothills
rising up the mountain
saguaros fall away
ocotillos remain
their leafy tentacles flailing
like upside down tarantulas
dotting the crevices and shelves
along with mexican oak
climbing higher
ocotillo give way
to arizona cypress, alligator juniper,
and too many nondeciduous oaks to name
desert? what desert?
temperature's dropped to sixty four
at six thousand feet
aspen and maple emerge
a little further
along come all the conifers
tall dark forests of
douglas fir and ponderosa pine
nearing the summit there's...
snow? not snow. in august?
no, not snow. really?
nine thousand feet
corkbark fir and a
couple of spruce
it's now a cool
fifty two
town on top
we stop
baby needs hoody
and hot chocolate
grandpa needs
to fathom it all
fifty miles,
six thousand five hundred feet
below
it's one hundred and three
sky island
not overrated
Endure
Stoic saguaros,
Capture the sunset
Reach for the stars
Shelter creatures near and far
Tell them they are safe here
Regally stand tall and absorb summer rains
Gather rainbows and share the pot of gold
Nourish nubs of life on your massive trunk
For they ensure survival of your bloodline
Hold yourself proudly my desert king
Relish your strength and heritage
Spread your fertile seeds
Kiss the clouds
Always, always,
Endure
Intense gray mass of rolling clouds.
The sun shines behind its brilliant rays
which ring the clouds in certain majesty.
For the moment I am complete,
had something delicious to eat,
have comfortable shoes on my feet.
For the moment I awake to blue skies,
and a beautiful canopy of lovely mountain
ranges, ranging to the North, South, East, West.
As I take my beloved dog Dizzy for a walk I notice
the Century plants which will out last my brief
stay here on this version of Earth.
Located in this desert's landscape are cacti of
many kinds, Saguaros so big, Rabbit Ears, Stringy Cholla...
they can seemingly jump onto your skin if you draw too near.
For the moment I am glad to be alive and tell my Lord and
how much I appreciate it being so.
After a walk so grand I get my swim suit on and enjoy
a swim in the outdoor pool at the place where I live, so refreshing.
In faith I imagine I am in the renewal of life.
As the water laps gently around me, I say another prayer for my
neighbors, friends and family.
For the moment I will remain pure of mind, body and soul.
Like a coyote I make my way in the untamed desert,
I am alone but not lonely.
Early this eve I cry out to rejoice. I know exhaustion.
Pure destiny is just over that rise.
Foreboding thorny Saguaros stand as sentinels on either
side guarding against any of my foe, sunset beckons me
to continue this journey.
On borrowed time my eyes shades of amber and hazel
catch the twinkling of light, more than a star. Pulsating
energy flows strongly into my often self-condemning will.
I take a generous breath of love, and then with insight I
continue to travel along into the
darkness of the night.
by S.E. Clark
Stars this night resemble stilled fireworks right before they explode.
Porch light on, wooden gates unlocked, I begin to walk along a dry desert wash.
Underneath the moon's illuminating light, cotton woods cast dark shadows which capture my attention.
In my view are stringy Chollas, elegant Mesquite trees, some giant Saguaros.
I notice smoky mists a short distance away from where I now stand. A while lion is there, He stops; stares down into my joyful eyes with understanding.
His eyes are dark; shiny gentle lights might be pupils. He seems to know me.
With one last loving look passed between us, He is gone.
I wake up in my comfortable bed; I do not feel alone.
Happily I feel more alive. Smiling I begin a new day.
by S.E. Clark
I wait for a sign
standing in this valley
my mind circling back to you
visions that I see
tall saguaros
mountains surrounding
warm sun
blue sky
me and you
the path we walked
side by side
has weeds pushing up
through the dotted lines
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