What does it mean
to come and go to visit
and then, to try and understand
what happens here
how lives are lived
how this light
wildlife and vegetation
and going up these mountains
how this shapes a life.
Strangers are happy
to tell you their favorite
walks: Mount Lemmon
Botanical Gardens
spectacular Desert Museum.
Last night with new friends
we drank liquor
with muddled lemon and basil
talked about what we see.
Tucson is a different place
from what I know, from where
I’ve been. The sky is closer
and from our room we see
light we’ve never seen before.
And ancient and almost familiar life.
So poignant touches depths
I remember hiking up a mountain near Scottsdale AZ and seeing striking cacti similar to those. It was a summer conference, I think the Reform movement, and boiling hot. You're lucky you're there in the winter.