Resurrection ~ Mohave Desert

We knew something was amiss.  On one side of the road, groves of Joshua trees flourished across the desert floor.  Yet, on the other side, entire miles had been devastated– burnt to a black crisp.  The Mohave desert was a surreal place and the highest concentration of Joshua trees in the world.  It was a solemn feeling to experience the up close and personal of fire devastation.  Apparently, one-third of the trees had suffered in the fire.  Drought was no joke.  Rising average temperatures were no joke, and still these trees and countless wildlife had to suffer the result of our imbalanced impact on this planet.    

Turning off at the Mojave Cross, the road led far back into the desert bush.  We parked the van at the perfect site next to giant boulders with stretching views of Joshua trees and gnarly cacti.  You could see where fires had ripped through the area; only the wind had held the power to choose which trees got spared.  We climbed to the top of a huge boulder and watched as the sun set slowly, painting the desert sky with its evening affair of rainbow hues.  With a full 360 degree view and a clear crisp sky, it was indeed one of the most memorable sunsets for the books.  Long after the sun had set, the sky still performed a deepening medley of brilliant saturations.  

Continuing on, we walked amongst the charred trees.  It was an eerie feeling, like the somber sentiment one would get strolling through a graveyard.  I approached one of the trees, and ran my hand across its bark.  I realized that these trees were not actually dead or even dying.  Below the blackened bark spewed drizzles of white, chalky life.  They were persevering despite their circumstances.  There was still a chance for resurrection.  We trekked on, beneath the full moon and in the distance, there she stood.  The tallest amongst the others, she held a gesture that the others could hardly rival.  We named her Eleanor, the grandmother, poised in perseverance amidst the Joshua Tree graveyard, showing the others, showing us, the meaning of resurrection. 

 

She

 

Birthed in a kiss 

I wrap you with a wide embrace

Calling out the resonance of your land

Stoic upon your rock

I land here,

                         still

 Imagining the birth of your enlightenment

 

Share your secrets with me

Make me your palace to play in 

Golden, you shake embers

  From your slinky hair- 

  The hair, your Joshua tree,

A delight for all to see 

 

I take with me this gift

 And present your knowing to 

     The hearts of all

Receive your goodness

Follow your lead

 

Remember . . . she beckons 

 A whisper through the wind

A caress against my neck

A float of my hair

Your chill satisfies my longing

And I press forward

Knowing the eternal dance follows

The dreams of many

 

Call me forth 

Beckon your holiness

The buzz that seeks the plenty, 

  The power of more

Your beauty astounds me 

 And I am forever in your grace

Connected to the heartbeat 

Of your land