A woman and the desert, by Jessica Hedges, 2016
The desert is confused as a passive kind of place
One lacking in any real character or design
The unknowing might mistake it as a waste of space
But I know the world that exists below the jack pines
For starters, she is as fierce as she is enchanting
The kind that let’s you know you may touch but with respect
She’s brought countless men to their knees from lack of planning
Vaulted others to riches they could never expect
Many see an endless pattern of sage covered hills
Maybe a few rocks or flats thrown in for good measure
But I understand each crest and jag has its own thrills
Each spring, meadow and cache of ore a reverend treasure
She uses fire and rain to tear herself apart
With the confidence to know she can rebuild again
Her rebirth, a tool in a personal kind of art
A rebalance of forages create her new zin
Some people choose to fear what lies beyond their known world
Frightened by the dance to the beat of an unlike drum
The desert found the groove of the wind as it swirled
Just taking what is to determine her own outcome
Her strength and her history have surpassed the ages
She has met with destruction yet flourished again
A master of life’s realities that fill pages
You won’t change her but you might get in sync with her spin
Jessica Hedges, 2016