One Must Have A Mind Of Desert

One must have a mind of desert

To delight in gale and dry heat of day giving way to

Cold brittle nights forcing stars awake from under their blankets

Waking the coyotes who dig for water that

Surfaces for Bighorn sheep and Cottontails,

Water that San Andreas fault and fissures force into springs,

Hot saunas, cool oasis flowing through aeolian dirt that

The permanent shelled turtle thrives in though always sifting,

Like the wind always blowing dust, barely bringing wild rain

Pounding rapidly, soaking soil that can’t grasp precipitate but

Creosote, Cholla and Ocotillo, deep rooted, thick skinned,

Grab hold of moisture and fight to hold tight until Spring

Loosens calloused fingers, rough, brittle, from cracks grow

Fairy Duster and Paintbrush; polychromatic on stark backdrop

They make their stand; dig in for one more season.

---Inspired by the poem, The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens and by prompts on writing poems at https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/