It wasn’t always this way. But now, weeds thrive in the high desert as if it were Iowa farmland. Invasive species carpet vast swaths of sand and decomposed monzogranite. Sahara mustard and London rocket seed themselves for eternity before drying to fuel the next wildfire. At sunset, red brome glows like the coalfields of hell.

shifting sands
how rusty nails come back
to bite you

Cynthia Anderson

A California resident and poet for more than 40 years, Cynthia Anderson is the author of 12 books, most recently Arrival (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023). Her poems have been published widely in journals and anthologies, and she has received multiple nominations for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Her recent work focuses on the natural world and her family history. She is co-editor of the anthology A Bird Black As the Sun: California Poets on Crows & Ravens (Green Poet Press).

Author’s website: www.cynthiaandersonpoet.com