Listen now to sentinels of the dunes,
Whose posts and duties blow across the sand,
Whose directions echo from nature’s command,
And, keeps the messages mixed with dusty tunes.
Silent cacti stand steady, at their post,
Watching seasons circle round,
And, blooms in spring do quietly abound,
To show that life, ‘tho silent, is no ghost.
Nearby the blue agave sources a drink,
With salt and lime, a liquid less harsh,
Giving sustenance and style a solid link.
But the open desert cacti is no farce,
Its high-parched lands are always on the brink,
The sentinel o’er sees all with its panache.
Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.