Gentle Earth, I beg of you –

Gentle Earth, I beg of you –
Whisper to us the first sign of spring. 
Annul this wintry despair
And a season of life anew, bring. 
From the depths of Baja
Carry the warmth in upon a draft. 
Poke the sunshine through grumbly clouds
And send it down as a gilded shaft. 
Clothe the desert with the raiment
Of fleeting sheets of white rain. 
Implore the wildflowers that they
Bestow upon us a fantastic display. 
Help the button-face of the brittlebush
Peep over the dead, crumpled brush. 
Bring forth the canyon penstemon. 
Make the Mexican lime cactus flush. 
With one stroke of rain 
Paint the delicate creosote yellow. 
Order the Engelmann’s cactus to raise
Their trumpets of fuchsia and blow. 
Tempt forth the birds to sing – hark!
I beg, usher in March.