Cacti Tribe

The desert people
in no hurry to grow
stand proud and silent all day.
The desert people
grow always in company.
The desert people
connect at shallow roots
and whisper beneath, perhaps,
in the dark of night.
The desert people
join earth with wide sky,
pointing the way to stars
The desert people
grow with slow
and stubborn
patience.

The desert people
keep watch:
on the Baja Pygmy Owl,
on the Cara Cara,
on the Berrenda antelope,
on the bighorned Borrego Cimarrón.
The desert people
watch the black jackrabbit,
and the Ospreys that dive
and the Frigates that can’t.
The desert people near the shore
see Amberjacks leaping in the sea.
Nothing escapes the love
of the proud and silent
cacti tribe.