The cactus needles gleam in the sun
the desert wind blows a constant hum
a dust devil spins in the distance
jack rabbits scatter as a hawk dives

A pair of Gambel's quail run by
their topknots bobbing
as the sun begins to set
cicadas emerge and sing

The coyote pack joins the chorus
as the night hawk calls poor-will
and the bats swoop and eat
insects, clicking echolocation

I am annoyed by the speeding lights
of the highway in the distance and
wishing it wasn't there to disrupt
the desert evening, into night show.