Sand Stroll

By Frances Leitch

In strolling and viewing its person, one reflects upon a sunshine land of many faces – and changing faces. The desert’s land has a voice of  challenge, wonder, and beauty. 

Sand Stroll

Quiet it be
Strolling the land
of shifting sand
But for the chirp
of a cactus wren
winging to needles perch
Eyes meet
The hare beneath
creosote bush
A horned toad
sunning on rock top
Peace and calm
As the scorpion mom
climbs the saguaro
cactus furrows
Babes on back
In the quiet land
of sand fill worlds

As Day Rolls On

On the sandy face 
of the sunny land
Roadrunners scamper
chasing a rattlesnake babe
rushing to cactus cover
The ringtailed cat
perches on top
of a saguaro tower
And the kit fox family
lounges beneath the shade 
of a mesquite tree
Where the mockingbird 
sings a sunlight song
As day rolls on

Bridge Of Afternoon

In the days of autumn                   
The sunbaked earth smiles
in the light of a cool breeze
And the desert soul knows not
Whether to burrow beneath
the branches of a mesquite
Traipse across the shifting sand
in the sun fall land
Or frolic to an organ pipe               
cactus tune
On the bridge of afternoon

Shadow Birth

Long shadows flow across
the sandy face of time
As the sun yawns 
and closes its eyes 
And eve sprouts 
a moon grow
Over the fields of sand  
and cactus strewn land 						
Moonshine lights the road 
the kit foxes journey
Traipsing in the shifting sand 
of eve’s abode
A ground squirrel’s head
pops up beneath barrel cacti 
scooting under the thorn pricked
cover and seed scatter
flourishing in sapphire
The kangaroo rat gathers
in the fertile night cool
of the shadow land
Born anew

Feeling that life is in nature’s palm, Frances has spun tales of life and the sea, desert, sun and wild spaces since youth.  In more than 30 years of writing, she’s done poems and articles, and having a hobo spirit, traveled through 48 states and 17 countries.  She and her family lived in deserty areas for many years and enjoyed its changing face, challenge, beauty and wonder.  In her Sand Stroll poems through its person, she’d like to share a bit of its animal and cactus life, and sunny changing face.