the smell of leaves dropped
from the cottonwoods
my desert home
how the breeze riffles the reed
reflections in Vern’s Pond
waving and waving
praise the kestrel that flew by
praise the beavers that make dens in the ponds
the owls that hide in the willows
praise the symbiosis of desert mistletoe
taking its energy from the mesquite tree
how its white berries sustain
the Phainopeplas these silky flycatchers
their glossy crests
their shining robes
how to shake and quiver the body
regulate the nervous system
sway and sway
how a poet exhaled
before reading a poem
these offerings
how life is sacred
—
DeAnna Beachley is a bird watcher, hiker, teacher, historian, poet, and essayist. Her poetry has appeared in Red Rock Review, Sandstone & Silver, Thimble, Slant, Blue Earth Review, Gyroscope, Liminal Spaces, Remington Review, Willows Wept Review, and Wild Roof Journal. Her debut chapbook, The Long View was released in June 2024 by Kelsay Books.
