A pallid sun in stunted angles

drowsily tints the leveled earth

in muted sepia tones

while shivering mesquites

languidly dream of warmer days

offering a taste of rain…                                      

Quiet skirmishes erupt

between doves and finches

jockeying for a balmier perch                                       

as hungry eyes circling above

scan for unwary creatures

foolish enough to break cover …

Portly javelinas

joust among themselves                                      

for the prize of buried seeds -

wary of yearling jackrabbits

fuzzily arriving to the scene

with similar urgent intent.

Somewhere below the cold caliche

female rattlers patiently lie -

quietly awaiting Spring

when their newborn, tiny vipers

wriggle from their sandy nest

to a world of uncertain fate.