A yearning for desert wildflowers; poems now and then

California Poppy

Aren't these gorgeous?

Where I used to live in the Antelope Valley, in the southern California high desert, these were a gift the dry, arid desert would yield every spring; these magnificent, golden wild flowers.

The abundance of these flowers would depend on how much rain we got over the winter.  In very dry years, we would only get maybe a dusting of these flowers.  But if rains were plentiful, these flowers, along with purple lupins and other wildflowers, would pepper the desert hillsides in huge bunches.  I remember the first time I ever saw the flowers after living in the Antelope Valley for only a short time.  I decided to take a drive through the back hills of Gorman, which is just north of the A.V., going toward Bakersfield on Interstate 5. The flowers on the brown hills, when viewed from a distance, made the hills look like they had been painted.

From that, I wrote this:

The Hills of Gorman
About Early Spring

Vivid, glistening,
Wisps of pigment
Blow in gusty winds,
dressing brown
naked hills,
with shocking brilliance
in every hue,
its grandeur
dressing the picture
in my rearview mirror.

I starting thinking about these flowers the other day; I guess because I will be going to California in less than a week now.  Although I will not see the poppies this trip (it's way to early yet), I was thinking of them, wondering how they would be this year. 

Sometimes they do come a little early, but if they do, sadly, they are shoved around by what can be very brutal winds.  When this happens, they close up, and  sort of just weather the storm.  They are very good at protecting themselves. 

Interesting metaphor, I thought....

Ode to a Poppy

Vulnerable, transparent flower,
parchment thin
to the touch,
gracing the grassy hillsides,
Golden heart
Open wide
basking in the light
of spring's hesitation
confident
that warmth
will not be retracted.

But winds
can come heavy
gust after gust
bending stems
to nearly breaking,
and spun gold,
learns quickly,
to close tight
and lean inward,

To not be
torn asunder,
regretting
revealing petals
too soon,
too generously,
before the spring
can promise safety
from yet another
unpredictable breeze.