Archive for the ‘Saguaro’ Tag

The Nurse Tree   2 comments

Dead Nurse Tree at Sunrise — Image by kenne

I can’t prove it—
But these young Saguaro cactus
stand there, steady in their twenties,
as if the dead nurse tree still lingers in them—
a memory of shade,
a shelter that did its work
and then let go.

Sabino Sunrise   2 comments

Sabino Sunrise — Image by kenne

Dawn spills over the mountains

and the giants wake.

Their shadows stretch like old cowboys

after a long night.

No hurry.

No apology.

Just another day

outlasting us all.

— kenne

Natures Synbolism   Leave a comment

Saguaro Sunrise — Image by kenne

Saguaro cactus at sunrise—
you say endurance,
beauty against all odds.
I see a drunk saint
full of needles
hoarding water like secrets.
The sun bleeds out behind it
without apology.
If there’s a lesson there,
it’s that even the harshest thing
knows how to bloom
when it has to.

— kenne

Hazy Morning   Leave a comment


Hazy Morning Sun In Sabino Canyon — Silhouette Image by kenne

Saguaro cutouts
against a milky sun—
even the shadows
drink their coffee slow
out here.

— kenne

Death Happens   Leave a comment

Death Happens — Image by kenne

Death happens
the way rain does—
announced by no one,
soaking the afternoon
until even the living
forget when it began.

— kenne

Sonoran Sunrise   7 comments

Sonoran Sunrise Over The Rincon Mountains — Image by kenne

Sonoran Sunrise

The mountains drink fire.
Saguaro stand tall 
blessing the dawn.

Ocotillo bleeds light,
fingers trembling
in the pale wind.

The sun—
golden blades—
cut the sky
wide open.

Silence spills
into flame.

And the desert,
old, dreaming,
remembers its heart—
burning,
always burning.

Cactus Wren Atop A Saguaro   4 comments

Cactus Wren Atop A Saguaro — Image by kenne

The Cactus Wren, (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, meaning ‘brown-capped curved bill’)
is conspicuous in behavior, size, and plumage—no doubt leading to its being chosen
as Arizona’s State Bird. Related to tropical wrens in Mexico,
this boldly patterned species is larger and unlike the rest of
North America’s wrens. — Tucson Audubon Society

Saguaros, The Desert Of Picture Books   Leave a comment

Saguaros — Image by kenne

Saguaros are the desert of picture books.

This is what a desert should be.

— kenne

I’ll Take Saguaros On The Rocks   1 comment

I’ll Take Saguaros On The Rocks — Image by kenne

In the first decade of life
saguaro growth is  slow
making the small plant 
very fragile to the elements.

The rocks provide protection
much like bushes and trees
Taking on the name ‘nurse trees,’
Large rocks function as ‘nurse rocks.’

— kenne

Cactus Wren   1 comment

Cactus Wren — Image by kenne

A cactus wren may spend time on top of a saguaro,
but they prefer the protection given by the cholla cactus.

Death In The Desert   Leave a comment

Dying Saguaro Cactus — Image by kenne

Death in the desert

Stands as if in defiance

Against gravity.

— kenne

The Night Before Christmas   3 comments

The Queen And Her King   Leave a comment

Saguaros In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne

A Mien to move a Queen—
Half Child—Half Heroine—
An Orleans in the Eye
That puts its manner by
For humbler Company
When none are near
Even a Tear—
Its frequent Visitor—

— Emily Dickinson

A Few Days After Rain In The Desert   1 comment

Sabino Canyon In August After Some Rain.  — HDR Image by kenne

Sabino Canyon

Brown becomes yellow and green

After August rains.

— kenne

Gila Woodpecker On Saguaro   1 comment

Gila Woodpecker On Saguaro — HDR Image by kenne