inspired by W.S. Merwin's "Rain Light"
All day they watch
beneath the scattered sweep
of rainless clouds, brushstrokes
across the desert sky
the cliff band along the ridgeline
glitters gold in the sun's light
as if in high testimony
to the resilience of these providers
of food and protection, no two alike
you wonder if they hear
the steady pop of gunfire
at the shooting range across the road
see the mansions climbing foothills
like advertisements for privilege
how many saguaros were sacrificed
for the sprawl, the border walls,
the apparatuses of security
the old hiker told you
they are spirits of wise ancestors
of native peoples, walk amongst them
he said, see how the saguaros stand
without question, even though
the world is breaking.
The Saguaros of Pass Mountain by Roxanne Doty | Poetry Reed Diffuser Set
$20.00Price
Roxanne Doty’s novel, Out Stealing Water was published by Regal House Press in 2022. Her poetry chapbook, Hours of the Desert was published by Kelsay Books in 2024. Her poetry collection, What Surrounds You, will be published by Kelsay Books in the summer of 2026. Her short stories and poems have appeared in various literary journals including The Baltimore Review, Third Wednesday, Quibble Lit, Cagibi, Superstition Review, Amethyst Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Gyroscope Review, Soundings Review, Lascaux Review, The Orchard Poetry Review and San Pedro River Review.
