A desert wetland is a
contradiction in terms.
Is it just a mirage – or do oases
really exist in the desert?
Ephemeral is the survival mode,
like an illusion here and gone.
In arid places wetlands are precarious.
Life on the edge waiting
to be snuffed out in the
whiff of a wind or a pump,
draining the water table dry.
Spring mounds are funny things.
In a vast dry ocean they pop up
with green chia pets on top
from a trickle or two that’s left
from a spring in the ground,
and wildlife rushes in to make haste
of the manna that surely won’t last.
Water, the cradle of life, boasting
species as diverse as the tropics.
Specialized plants, insect larvae,
molluscs to migrating songbirds.
Water, the priceless commodity here.
Some species depend on as much as a puddle –
little toadlets grow fast to dig deep in wet ground,
desert tortoises carve out depressions to bask in
after intermittent rains. Kangaroo rats sealed in
their burrow conserve the moisture of their breath.
Tiny hidden wetlands make refugia for
native species like pupfish and chub.
Desert people follow the water, too.
Signs of ancient human settlement
belie a nomadic lifestyle,
for the water is seasonal
and dependent on storms.
Now warm springs in unlikely places
draw naturalists in for a dip,
leaving giardia and cast-off pets
to disturb the fragile ecosystem.
Water laws, water wars, never heard of back east.
For recreation, sports, commercial or home use -
blame the homeowner with a little patch
of green for their dog to use,
but not the giant resorts with expansive
turf fields for a rich man’s game.
Will we wake up when the water’s gone?
Curled mud cookies will be all that’s left.
Paired music: “Horse With No Name,” written by Dewey Bunnell for the band America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocLCLMZO6dc
-Margie B. Klein
Margie B. Klein is a 30-plus year veteran writer on nature, and has had the pleasure of contributing for Tiny Seed before. She holds degrees in the natural sciences and is certified in environmental education, nature interpretation, and ecopsychology.
–