8.02.2007



Mystifying Little Flicker

So yeah, I am new here. Even though I have lived here before, I am new here. Quite new. I am the newbie here, in my strange new neighborhood, in my town, and especially at my house.

When I lived here before, there were no houses where my house presently stands. As I look and roam around my new home, I feel as though I only barely comprehend the reaction of this particular environmental temperament; that even though all of the natural balance and population has lived here before (long, long before), it too feels confused and displaced. Perhaps, with change, this place has become even disturbingly unfamiliar now to us all. Our modern world; it is all about expansion, development and growth. And at the same time, all about devolution.

Hence I watch carefully the little worlds which orbit around me in the northern Sonoran Desert, to see who is alive and well... and exactly how this fragile attempt at life and maintenance of delicate seasons is accomplished. Sometimes I have to wonder if it will survive.

All the same, little happy surprises continually greet me amidst this latest culture shock. Lately I have found a delicate one which I cannot yet name. She is a tiny, subtly colored lump of a non descript cactus, choosing to live beneath bigger hosts, like a massive Palo Verde tree or a thick, hunky barrel cactus, for instance. Apparently not requiring much in the way of attention, she appears first as a little pebble and then grows more little lumps as she extends her unremarkable presence quietly among the others living in the sand everywhere.

Recently however, I noticed that she too had an elusive, tantalizing and beautiful voice. It came so quickly and without warning; called out from her crown, from the tiny white rocks in which she has chosen to park diminutively. And it came forth even from the scaly base of some of her elders. It is a tender, pale crimson expression, with the bright, warm yellow pistils of a shy but loving feminine entity. Her voice came and went with tranquility; the blossoms recurring with the generous rains of summer. Quiet flickers in this strange new (old) world.



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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you know the name of the cactus? It is so lovely and has such subtle coloring. The pink compliments the greenish gray very nicely.

Anonymous said...

As always, I enjoy reading your blog. I have no clue as to the name of the lump.

Anonymous said...

You are so absolutely right about the desert being a fragile ecosystem. It is a beautiful and unique setting and I am glad that you are watching over it-- or at least your little corner of it. Tell us more.

Anonymous said...

Nice little piece. I like to read whatever you have to say.

Anonymous said...

I have read about the monsoons in Arizona. The weather is extreme there.

Anonymous said...

Awesome pictures, alltho i don't know what that flower could be, i like your blog a lot.

Anonymous said...

I know, it is sometime hard being the new kid on the block. It has happened to me too. I hope you will feel more comfortable the longer you are there. After you get used to the different cultures and the new plants and people and everything. Good luck. The cactus are really pretty and they look very small. The flowers are so pretty.

Anonymous said...

You ARE new... the cactus which your beautiful writing describes is called a hedgehog cactus. You have observed it carefully, I can see, because the traits are well described and very accurate. It is good to have you in Tucson. A lovely blog -- keep writing for us.

Anonymous said...

This one is called a hedge hog cactus. Your pictures and prose are quite good.

Anonymous said...

Once again you have given us something wonderful to read. Thank you for these pleasant postings.

Anonymous said...

The cactus in your posting is called a "hedge hog" cactus. You are correct when you say that it grows best and most often beneath a larger host, in the desert. I like reading your blog and will look forward to the next installment. Good stuff!