As spring revolts against the harsh hegemony of cold
the desert wakes, and life – pushed beyond the
bounds of its hibernating lull – abruptly blooms.
As though from nowhere, seeds rise up and surging
latent color bursts explosively across the desert floor.
And though the dust reads riot act to the wildflowers
in its jurisdiction, they riot all the more within the washes
and on arroyo sides. Their names alone – Spanish Needles,
Desert Star, Indian Paintbrush, Dune Sunflower ¬– admit
their desert heritage, but they are not servile citizens of dust.
These are the living pigments the earth has stored, silently,
for a time like this: held in preparation for winter’s
overthrow. And as the insurrection spreads, cold’s forces
surrender everywhere to the unchecked profusion of
floral hordes. Even the desert dwellers wonder
how revolutions flower to this degree – invincible
beneath the bright returning sun. *
*Historically, many major revolutions occurred in the spring of the year:
the American Revolution, April 1775; French Revolution, May 1789;
German Revolution, March 1848; Russian Revolution, March 1917; etc.
