The Desert Weeps

A rainy day in the Sonoran desert and reflections on life, death, love & rebirth.

For only a moment

A fleeting eternity exists

Among the misty clouds

Of the afternoon monsoon storms rolling in.

Watching a space of endless time

Of moving rainbows beyond the horizon

The sun peaks through the pink and gray sky

Amid the powerful lightening

One last goodbye is called.

A howl alongside the wind

Then gone forever

Among the juniper and chaparral.

As thinly veiled waves of rain washes the desert clean

In those cleansing tears of renewal

A silent baptism

Uniting life and death

Swallowed up in grief and joy

Love lingers and is healing if allowed to grow

The desert reminds me.

With every dewy drop of rain that falls

Upon the greening mountain side

I lose myself again.

Reviews

[Sojourner]

Hi April,
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you liked what you read.

I like the sense of this piece. It does take me back to the desert. We lived in Vegas for 2.5 years while my husband finished out his enlistment in the Air Force. While I am not a desert fan, it can be astounding when it rains, and early in the spring.

There are only a couple of places that read a little off for me in this poem. You know, of course, whatever I offer is just my opinion, to be taken or left as you desire. Oh yes, parentheses indicate removal of something. Brackets indicate inclusion. I think I have that in the correct order. I know it's one way or the other.

For only a moment

(A fleeting) eternity exists The A fleeting isn't needed. You're restating what you already said in the
first line.
Among (the) misty clouds

(Of the) [As] afternoon monsoon storms roll (ing) in. I don't know why but my creative writing prof. said
ing and ly are not really great endings for poem
[ I ] watch (ing) a space of endless time words. Sometime unavoidable though.

Of moving rainbows beyond the horizon [.]

The sun peaks through (the) pink and gray (sky)

Amid (the) powerful lightening [ . ]

One last goodbye is called [ , ]

A howl alongside the wind Maybe growl might convey the sound of lightning a bit better.

Then gone forever

Among (the) juniper and chaparral.

(As) Thin (ly) veiled waves of rain wash (es) the desert (clean) Feels redundant to me, alongside cleansing.

(In those) [With] cleansing tears of renewal

A silent baptism

Uniting life and death

Swallowed up in grief and joy For me, this line seems extraneous. It just doesn't fit.

Love lingers [,] (and) is healing if allowed to grow [.]
{exchange the placing of these two lines. The sense of them is so profound but it's almost lost if they
are in such awkward juxtaposition.)
The desert reminds me (.)

With every dewy drop of rain that falls These three lines are just so......I could linger on them for a long
time, savoring the image and the feeling.
Upon the greening mountain side

I lose myself again.

� 2008 april_moonflower