My little plot is Shared with nothing else Alive and growing. I struggle But I somehow survive In a sprawling field With all my many brothers, Each with their own Similar sized space, All reaching for the Seldom falling drops That mean we live or die In this Mojave land Of blazing sun, Where nothing moves But two-hundred car Container trains Pulled by four orange engines. I am the King of Thirty-six square feet Of gravel, rock and sand Nothing that intrudes Will live for very long Because I put my roots down first And any rain that falls Is mine. ljm
The plant is commonly known as creosote bush and grows in the Mojave Desert. It does keep other plants from living close to it by widely spreading filigree roots to capture all the available moisture. Yaaay, we're back! And I have a backlog. Don't we all?