I
Wide horizons of desert,
dry hard land, dust-windy and lonely,
empty but for lizards
until the houses come.
The desert populated. Aliens
unaware of beauty, the life
already there.
Wide horizons of suburbia,
smart new houses, well-furnished and lonely,
sprinkler-fed gardens
where alien lizards live.
II
They fought. He missing city life
stole her energy.
She missing water, drained his spirit
to dry emptiness between them,
prickly sharp with unspoken fears.
Previously published in Raindog
24 comments:
Thanks for visiting my blog, Juliet. I'm so glad I came to see yours, and love this poem.
I'm also a Haiku fan. Will have a go later in the week when not so busy.
Those calendar ideas are pretty nifty, too. Thanks for sharing. And please do come back and visit my blog any time.
I really liked this one :)
I really like the words you chose in this poem. I keep saying I need to try poetry more. I just need to do it!
That brought Arizona to life and lizards now aliens in their own land.
I liked the second one two.
I noticed the juxtaposition of the humans and the lizards. It's really lovely how you presented both 'realms' without siding on one. I do have a feeling that you're for the lizard, as am I. We're encroaching on their territory and it's sad that they've become the 'aliens'. Great post!
I loved this, the juxtaposition of desert and town followed by conflict.
Love the harsh unforgiving nature of your words and the aliens regarding each other warily.
Wow, that last stanza is very powerful! nice job.
a sad tale indeed... as a compilation,, and standing alone....
"Aliens
unaware of beauty, the life
already there."
I see it here in Florida... people build practically right on the ocean, yet when they walk past it, their heads are bent talking into their cell phones or listening to iPods instead of the ocean's roar...
Just wonderful, Juliet...
loved this one...the lonlely houses.. the feeling of drowning in sand.
well done!
excellent. i like it very much
Oh my gosh, Juliana, you have told the story in a way people can absorb, not just read. Aliens unaware of beauty...
The second poem is true more often than it should be.
You are really a wonderful poet and in tune with the earth.
I always enjoy your poetry
Lovely. You think you know where it is going--and then it throws a curve. Great stuff.
Thanks for stopping by.
Oh, I so love the uninhabited desert of Arizona! Your poem sets the mood before it moves away. Lovely!
ahhhhhh Crafty this is a poem that speaks to my heart:)
I like the first poem--the transformation of the desert--where we try to be everything the desert isn't.
II is very nice.
Both these poems were wonderful! I loved how you made both the people and the lizards aliens from one part of the poem to the next. And the second one was so sad...two people who love eachother but also drain eachother because they want different things. Very powerful.
Liz - yes I'm definitely 'for the lizard'!
Regina - yes the specifics if the problem vary from place to place, but in a sense this happens everywhere.
Thanks everyone for your comments - are they two poems or two parts of the same poem?
Hi Crafty -- I really like the way you showed how someone else's idea of home can be so alien to what others are used to or need. This is a really powerful and deep poem on so many levels.
This vivid picture revives my long-held desire to visit to travel across the South-West.
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