Reader Allison Boley writes:

A proud Arizona native and physics graduate student at ASU, I have delighted in the poems Arizona Highways has begun to share on Facebook. A few years ago, it seemed appropriate to write the following poem about procrastination when I should have been studying for finals. I don't care about getting paid for it, but if you like it, I thought it might be fun to share with the community of fellow desert-philes.

Thanks for sharing, Allison. While we no longer publish readers' poems in the magazine, we do still receive submissions, and we'll continue to occasionally post them on our blog.

Smoke and Dust
by Allison Boley

Smoke and dust and now I wait
Roll the sun in through my window
Kick my shoes off on the dash
I don't need them now

Rail car whistles to the west
Strange the sound means nothing to me
Waves that rise up off the land
Can't match what burns my need

Below the car the rumbling swells
Chase the quail, if only I knew
Sweat and Sasparilla mist
Cool and sweet and fools

Saguaro blooms for kindred soul
Hundred years it sees what's coming
But still we stand and slowly grow
Arms raised high like a king

Now the bells, and my toes curl
Levers lower candy cane arms
My horn's silent, grip the gear
First straight into fifth

Always first straight into fifth

Photo: Gary Smith | Vermilion Cliffs