Elemancy by Chris Crittenden

obliterated by a vigor
of rain, the stubborn dust
of cities upon cities,
of gone animals and creatures,
whirled astonished
in a sibilant dance,
ripples of hallelujah
borne on its percussion.
and we could celebrate,
free of mummified fears,
from tentacles of desert
that swirled on the wind
down into our rasped throats,
believing once more
that the gods were not stagnant,
that the glisten of new rivers
carried an essential trust,
immune to auspices of privilege,
and the meanness of gates.
it seemed the land itself
had become a shiny bird
with unstoppable feathers,
branched into many and
exuberant wings, every
molecule alert, befriended,
in a great unison of flying.


Chris Crittenden, Maine, USA

Someplace for Queens by Cynthia Sidrane

If you sit long enough

On the granite boulder

At the edge of town,

Gazing into desert spaces

Between compass cactus

And owl's clover,

Baileya and brittle bush,

You might notice a few bees pausing

Over yellow creosote blossoms.

Perhaps you'll see them flit away

All at once, or each in its own time,

Etching a path only they can follow

On the low blue sky to a hive

Hidden in a lone mesquite

Where their queen sits on her throne

Combed with amber honey.

Cynthia Sidrane, Arizona, USA