By Margarita Cruz

Squash blossom my tongue to the sky,
We all fall upwards down here:
Eyelids squish rottenfruit heavy
dirt clods fall
flames brush eyelash.
Destroy gardens – they locust
      small flies, some say
            – the west is disappearing –

Under this peach tree, corn stalk
            roots entangle amid
moonflowers as they climb,
crawl all over.
            Their vines mice tail onto
dried carcasses, peach and somewhere
strawberry
            Pick the season:
Fall here is orange,
            only desert
            to yellow.
&thewest is hiding
under fevered limbs –
The whole pasture
            on fire ,
Cinders crunch under – worming fingers – swimming soil

Margarita Cruz recently received her MFA in Creative Writing from Northern Arizona University. Former editor-in-chief of Thin Air Magazine, she is currently a columnist for Flagstaff Live!. She serves as Vice President to the Northern Arizona Book Festival and as an editorial assistant for Tolsun Books. Her works have been featured in Miracle Monocle, Chapter House Journal, and the Susquehanna Review. Find what she’s up to at shortendings.com.