shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe
backyard sanctuary
for all seasons
under the shade of a chinaberry tree
yerba buena rue rosemary
in coffee cans truck tire
helped along with monsoon summer rain
marigolds fill an abandoned
rusty mailbox
repurposed tea kettle
shell back vintage metal lawn chairs
clay chiminea for crisp autumn nights
smokey roasting chili peppers
under a harvest moon
winter frosts bring out
luminarias and punched tin
candle lanterns
lights strung on cactus
boughs brought down the mountain
red chili ristras from ranches
start again with
orange blossom perfumed air
la naranja buzzy with honey bees
desert marigolds mallows
pink penstemons pop
as this desert neighborhood
springs back to life
Poem and photograph by Lisa Periale Martin
Lisa Periale Martin is a poet, writer, librarian, mariachi aficionado, and former farmworker. Her writing is steeped in the essence and wonder of the Sonoran Southwest. Tiny Seed, Claw and Blossom, Plants & Poetry Journal, and Harpy Hybrid Review have published her work. Two recent poems are featured in a Chax Press chapbook, POG 2021.