In the Desert
Mar 7, 2022
Matthew 4:11
The drought has made a desert of our land:
drained the ponds, displaced turtles and frogs,
stressed the trees until they yellow
and drop their leaves early, in August.
The chemo has made a desert of my body:
hands burning with the oils of the mildest pepper,
blood carrying less oxygen until fatigue
grounds me on the couch.
The dead leaves rattle, the chickens
chase grasshoppers, take dirt baths,
gather around the joint of the leaky hose.
Like everyone in the world, I am tired.
And yet, in this desert, for no other reason
than that I am beloved, angels minister to me.
