Desert Plants

The thick-skinned plants of the desert
equipped with spines
produce
the most delicate blossoms,
some of them so tiny,
they can group on the nail of my thumb.

Tiny piss ants come
to sip at these blossoms at night
and dormant seeds, 
held a long time in trust,
overnight spring up
when storms
flood the washes with rain.

While most say the desert is tough,
I find it fragile.
Those who live is this land
must be strong
and, above all, careful.