I Went to The Desert in Springtime - Charity Anastasio

I went to the desert in springtime

A rain shower hit scalded earth and I imagined sizzling

The cacti silently slurped

All the dew of the world and I was not loved.

Me: third wheel, squeaky wheel, shrieking beyond repair.

The cacti held their phallic form, swelling to absorb more, more

Offering itself to the sun, ground, emboldened beasts of the desert—

Water source and shade—their mother—

The cactus is adored by all in the desert

Her spikes enduring and cunning

Her riposte is but a whisper, a hum on the horizon.

She blooms.

I shrivel in.

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Charity Anastasio is an old writer. Her day job is in legal but she moonlights as a poet. She has a JD from Seattle University School of law and a BA in English from the University of Washington. She has had two poems published in her alma mater's literary journal. Charity lives in Baltimore, Maryland.