Thursday, November 03, 2016

Monument

In silence
in rain on the desert
pungent greasewood with that railroad tie richness
burning.

Coughing, gasping
they come
one, two, droves
crowding into the desert sanatorium
where water follows canyon walls
people trek now in Naugahyde boots, with sunscreen.

Swoosh with the
horse tails of old times
pushing away the flies with brushy yellow snakeweed
then
and now.

Geological, paleontological, archaeological, botanical
and a presidential proclamation.

Boom — monument created.

This is only human
really nothing is newly created
the ranches, with their melting adobes,
creaking windmills,
now leave the water
alone.