The desert is a wolf... A wolf whose heart men can not tame -- Whose parched and blistered throat breathes flame -- A wolf with fangs of jagged stones, Whose stealthy trail is marked by bones, Whose hungry cry re-echoes still Beyond the lonely windswept hill... The desert is a wolf. The desert is a snake, With eyes of green and ruby glass -- With rattle of dead summer grass -- A snake that dozes in the heat Beneath a blanket of mesquite -- That strikes at either friend or foe Who would the serpent's secrets know... The desert is a snake. The desert is a witch... A witch with joshua-trees for hands, Who by her seething cauldron stands -- And from the misty clouds that rise, Makes magic pictures in the skies; Who weaves a shining yellow veil To lure the wanderer from his trail... The desert is a witch. The desert is a singer... A Lorelei with wild-rose lips, Whose song drifts down from mountain tips... She sings of gold -- and jeweled sands -- And of the peace of lonely lands -- Soft winds -- And love without regret -- And dreams to make all men forget... The desert is a singer... | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FUGUE FOR A DROWNED GIRL by JAMES GALVIN WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? by PAUL VERLAINE BY THE FIRESIDE by ROBERT BROWNING LIBERTY FOR ALL by WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON TAPESTRY TREES by WILLIAM MORRIS (1834-1896) |