Photo: Wikipedia Commons–labeled for noncommercial reuse
sere
this wind has raped
the trees of leaves
and palms of fronds
dark clouds hang low
on mountain tops
but withhold rain
coyote prowls
the desert floor
seeking for prey
on arid land
sun soon will scorch
our arid earth
to our cha-
grin.
Written for dVerse Quadrille Monday where we write a poem of exactly 44 words, excluding the title. This week we are to include the word “grin.”
My poem reflects the current state of things in the California Desert. The rest of the state is getting much needed precipitation while we sit here looking at clouds that just don’t seem to want to give us a break. But then, this is the desert.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
DArk hole
soUl human
winds breathe
killing seeds of
death across the
earth.. but
grin tHere
nows
are short
iN sPan
of what’s
REAL..
iN liGht..:)
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Very clever and moving too…la mère nature s’attriste sans ses larmes de chagrin
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Well that ending made me grin! And in fact the whole poem is lovely.
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This is very good! I so enjoy when poetry is utilized to bring attention to an issue! You have done that so well!
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CA can be ruthless, for when it does rain on the desert, it’s usually a deluge, flash-flooding, filling the arroyos, setting up killing zones. My decade in CA was a plethora of annual brush fires, flash floods & mud slides–to my chagrin.
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Brillians use of grin! Viv grins in appreciation.
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A very clever and beautiful take on the prompt. Love it Victoria, especially the first stanza.
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[…] quadrille for Monday’s prompt is here. That fun prompt is open all […]
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YES. Oh yes oh yes oh yes oh yes. You KNOW I love this. Nothing pleases me more than a well-placed hyphen. Wish I’d thought of this one! 🙂 DELIGHTED.
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I can feel the harshness of the drought, Victoria. Unlike anything I have personally known.
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I liked how you snuck in that word grin, Victoria…pretty cool! But I understand the chagrin of your feelings on the lack of rainfall. In some areas it’s become an emergency.
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Ah, even in the disappointment of drought you still enjoy playing with words, Victoria! Love “sere” and “cha-grin” 🙂
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I have not been to one…so I am imagining the scorching heat ~ Love that cha-grin, smiles ~
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“cha-grin” nicely played. Regrettably, the clouds are not playing the rain game with you even for a desert. Hope you get a series of good soaking rains soon.
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cha-grin – a rather cheeky way to use the prompt word 🙂 Nicely played!
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This is exactly how I remember the desert.. those clouds that are not really of any use. holding in the rain… and I love the innovation of cha-grin
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You’ve painted an excellent word-picture of the harsh conditions in a desert that’s seen even less precipitation than normal. And that is an unusual way to include “grin” in the poem. Peace, Linda
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Oh, how clever!
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