THE HOLY WOMAN OF THE ARIZONA DESERT
bends time with her teeth
unpicks cactus flowers
uses their spines to sew
her songs to the desert.
hears conversations among coyotes
sits in the fire pits all night long shaking
sand from her intimate oasis
the holy woman broods on god
tells him that his ideas don’t work
his ideas all to pot his ideas just no
good any more! what this earth needs
she says is a night of fallen pomegranates
it needs new ponies needs food for pilgrims
she sits and muses by her adobe hut
this arizona woman
this desert holy woman
arizona the holy desert is woman
arizona hot and holy in silence
sits woman
in the desert
in the song
she is desert
in arizona
her dance moves mountains
devils pitchfork
themselves into her lap
she sits by her fire pit
sewing leaves for her wedding
to the mountain lion
cactus spines know her
her hands shape themselves into birds
between her fingers sits the desert’s hymn
