Chaparral
A soft sound
For a hard land
Home to the horned lizard and the red tail hawk
Chamise, sage and scrub oak with small, leathery leaves and
Pungent, fragrant smells in summer
That explodes in flame
In the fall
The seared, scorched earth
Inures itself to winter rain
Runoff rushes in torrents to the sea
And in spring
As damp clouds cast shadows
Life erupts from the soil
The return of the softness of
Chaparral.
