The Sky Must Open

Today I thought I'd post a poem I wrote some time ago but rediscovered this morning. I'm in a poetic and open frame of mind. Enjoy.

Princess, hero, god
For C

The saguaro rises tall
over the dust and scrubs,
the sky. Its long shadows
damp scraped valleys,
call jackrabbits.

She came to it wrapped
in a terry cape –
A princess or hero or god; a child
playing at imagination.
It was eaten by coyotes.

Intolerant desert, you are workworn
and tired. Rarely the cacti blooms
scarlet blossoms or spreads seed,
Each scorched flower is
squeezed from the sand.

Still, in the spring they whisper:
Even the desert is touched by gods.
The sky must open, the rain must fall.