SandScript 2020

Her arms were crooked in defiance
one bent down upon hips that were void
skimming a belted waist where fat was denied
there was no time for gluttony in the desert
only the minimal allowed to survive
Inside her abdomen, an owl’s home
carved by a crew of selfish gilded flicker
a labor union of ruby mustaches and copper caps
who hammered and peeked with their beaks and bills
naturally devised chisels harder than steel
POETRY
Hawks and wrens pried at her brittle spines for a meal
others dwelled, leases signed on the prickly dotted line
ravens sang lullabies while their mates feathered the nests
with twigs and sticks by the neon bulb of the moon
a sleepy opera that urged her noble ribs and bones to swoon
A crass smile formed on the saguaro as she curtsied
to her dwellers, her invaders, her lovers, and the wind
wiggled her topmost blossom, promising more than just nectar—
life—
and one last hop
249