Over at http://bigtentpoetry.org this week's prompt was a "hidden message". Although this piece's message isn't hidden, the italicized words I used are a sort of road map to a place.
Under a starlit prairie sky,
cradled by ebony spires,
The ghost of a buckboard goes creaking past,
While the cactus wren whispers his cry.
Skirting the crackled and fissured plain,
lies a red lake long since dry.
As the buck and doe stand silent watch
for thunderheads of a monsoon rain.
Silvery shadowed moonlight beams
En-robe each corner of this land,
and cast a magical glow on the valley below,
left shimmering as a dream.
At the end of some blistering summer day,
as I wander the canyon trails,
in this desolate vista I love to call home,
the night can take my breath away.
The relentless heat and sunshine makes me appreciate the lovely cool nights where I live. Although this is no amazing work of poetry, (I was not able to spend much time on it), I hope it conveys how I feel while out on an evening journey.
(All the italicized words in this piece are roads and streets in my little corner of the world- the magical and varied land of the Northern Arizona desert.)
It's a lovely poem, Cynthia, that shows your affection for your location. Sounds amazing too!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Derrick, it is lovely Cynthia. It is almost an ode to place. Your love for your home overflows. You are blessed to live in a place you love so intimately.
ReplyDelete~Brenda
Cynthia this certainly does convey how you feel about where you live.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem!
Pamela
Wonderful. I used to have family in northern AZ and this poem reminds me of nights on the Mogollon Rim. Takes me right back to that lovely place and those cool nights watching stars and satellites.
ReplyDeleteLovely desert poem Cynthia.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to have the cool evenings. Humid air holds the heat, and in the evenings the breeze dies. Nasty.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your walk. And I love the photo. The flash accentuating the foreground is a neat effect--surreal.
Thank you for letting me tag along on your evening stroll. I have a friend who has asked me to move out to Arizona. I'm thinking more seriously now.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
This line: "the night can take my breath away"
ReplyDeletesays it all. I have often felt those moments, and to share yours is awe-inspiring. Your descriptions are so lovely.
Beautifully written. I felt like I was on the walk with you.
ReplyDeleteI love the desert, too. Your imagery is superb and the chosen words perfect!
ReplyDeleteVery vivid imagery. You had me at the first excellent stanza!
ReplyDeleteLovely pome
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful poem! Great take on the prompt!
ReplyDelete-Weasel
I've been to Arizona a few times (Phoenix and Flagstaff areas) and really enjoyed the desert landscapes. You made them vivid again for me with this.
ReplyDeleteI like how you wove the street names into a love poem! The photo is lovely, too!
ReplyDelete