Desert Soul
(Carmelita T. Jaramillo, August 2023, Cosmic Soul)
The yuccas with their billowing gypsum flowers
Towered over me like dagger edged cathedrals
The skittering dragons that raced along the dusty roads were
Referred to as horned toads in polite company but in the long
Hours of my quiet solitude in the presence of bleached white
Skulls and prickly pear laden cactus I delighted in calling
These tawny creatures by their God given name
Horny Toads
See, the desert was in my soul
Adobe ruins were my Atlantis and the artifacts left behind
By wranglers and cowboys captivated my imagination
One of my most coveted possessions was the rattle end of a
Snake that was wreaking havoc on the livestock pasturing at
The Dolores Estate
It was given to me by one of our neighbors a man who wore the sunbaked
Clay of the land in the creases of his skin and the folds of his bandana
That snake was longer than a man is tall he said as he gave me the rattle
See, the desert has a soul
A soul that hides water behind curved barbs and long sturdy spines
A soul that howls mournful coyote songs at the waxing silver moon
A soul that spatters sparkling starlight against unadulterated nights
See, you can take the jackrabbit out of the desert but you can’t ever take the daring leaps
Out of its hind legs nor the instinct for survival out of its rugged heart the jackrabbit has a soul
That knows too well the taste of wilderness and freedom it knows too well the taste of the
Tender shoots that grow at the base of the towering yuccas with the billowing gypsum flowers
Yes, the desert has a soul
