Though the end of November is near
it still has not rained.
Dry winds sweep across the land
swirling dust through vineyards
and snapping trees in the canyons.
What will our relatives have to eat?
Deer reach for what leaves they can find
unconcerned about humans in their place.
Coyote and Mountain Lion are more wary
leaving scat but not showing
their coats.
Hawk shrieks high in the air
wheeling in the dusty smoky sky;
all is brown and gold and painfully dry.
Then on the hillside
there is suddenly red:
California Fuchsia
blooming in profusion,
little red trumpets
singing a song of life.
Here is a miracle
of evolution:
a plant that blooms every autumn
no matter how deep the drought.
Resilience, it seems,
is the very essence of this world.
Life will always find a way.
Life will always find a way.