Phoenix

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. It's not for a lack of work; actually, it's rather due to too much work, of the real world variety, unfortunately. But I've still been working on the manuscript, so that's good.

We're at the part that basically constitutes the 'dark night of the soul' bit - that is, putting the poems in some sort of order. It's just utter hell. Glad the rest of the project's gone so smoothly, because this is a big fat road bump and will likely keep me occupied right up until the 18th or 19th, when I give it to my friend to critique.

Anyway, before I toddle off to immerse myself in utter hell for a little longer this morning, wanted to share one of my favorite poems. I wrote this when I was living in the Mojave Desert in Arizona.

phoenix

I-10 towards Phoenix unwinds like a movie reel
bowled across the desert, steep mountainsides
saguaro-carpeted, ocotillos, mesquite trees waving in the wind

far off, three, four dust devils weave across vast
flats of dirt, rocks, among windtorn cacti:

and marvel: to see so far, see the cactus skeletons fleshed
how life thrived in this barren valley. how life crept
into every crack in the desert, how it clings to rock

like a spring is about to burst forth
if a strong enough will bends to it.

I rise, hoping these wings will hold,
reborn: a new determination

my lips crack in the dry desert air
but a fount swells certain in my heart
threatening to burst, savoring
the suspense before, the air about to crack
like a rifleshot among the canyons
spooking the coyotes, frozen in the rising full moon
breathing manifest destiny in gulps of hot air.