The Desert

DESERT I Morning

Aurora, fair and radiant, smiles again Upon her favored land. The temptress, Night, Forsakes her rendezvous in sudden fright And silently withdraws her velvet train. Bejewelled splendor floods the wide domain Where sentinel saguaros greet the light. The beat of wings, as feathered life takes flight, Salutes another morning's gladsome reign. The cactus blossoms gleam as precious gems Of pastel hue and jade. A proud display Of sage, bedecked in silver diadems, Extends to meet the hills; the sunbeams play Upon the paint-brush blooms and gild their stems To beautify the new-born desert day.

II Sunset

The dying sun in one last fitful throe Upturns a giant crucible that spills Its molten gold upon the western hills And gilds their ramparts with an amber glow. Now saffron, orange, and yellow merge to flow In plunging torrents and in drifting rillsA restless, ceaseless surge that swirls and mills, Engulfing all the passive land below. The treasures massed from earth's remotest ends Can't match the richness of this golden sea; Nor all the efforts finite man extends Produce the magic of its brilliancy. For here is grandeur that by far transcends The ultimate of human artistry.

III Night

Now Night has gently cast her magic spell And quietude pervades the land again. The ebon streams that flood the level plain Flow endlessly from some enchanted well. Where brilliance was, the gargoyle phantoms swell, To sway fantastically, to grope and strain In weird grotesqueries like men insane Assail the barriers wherein they dwell. The waning moon, by angry clouds confined, Essays to pierce the raven turbulence; And finally to failure full resigned, Embarrassed by this show of impotence, Departs reluctantly and leaves behind The mysteries a desert night presents.