Tag: Desert Poetry

Read Desert Poetry written by slam poets, cowboy poets, and literary giants inspired by the state of Arizona on AZpoetry.com!

Land Alive by David Chorlton

April 15, 2025

“Land Alive” by David Chorlton

The land isn’t empty, it’s thinking.
What will it become when
the clouds disappear and rocks take their place?
Where will the roads lead

when they reach the edge of human thought
and turn into philosophy
where the compass needle bends
and points toward itself?
How much history
can a lizard carry on its back
when it moves at the speed of a reflection

that waits for no one?
It’s as dark as dreams in the canyon
where shadows conspire
to climb the red walls
and fly, as questions do when

they outgrow any answers
that would have bound them
to the Earth.

Originally published online on September 3, 2024 by Lothlorien Poetry Journal, where you can visit to read Land Alive and four more poems.

About the poem Land Alive by David Chorlton

Discover the poem’s philosophical layers and explore the Arizona desert through Chorlton’s lens.

In “Land Alive,” Arizona poet David Chorlton challenges the notion of the desert as a barren, lifeless expanse. Instead, he breathes consciousness into the land, describing it as a force that thinks, reflects, and questions. The poem opens with a striking declaration—”The land isn’t empty, it’s thinking”—and from this premise, Chorlton invites readers to consider the Sonoran Desert not as a backdrop for human activity, but as a living, sentient presence.

The poem flows like a dream, moving from questions about geography and thought to surreal images of lizards carrying history and shadows conspiring to climb canyon walls. The language is both reflective and elusive, packed with metaphor and subtle philosophical questioning. What does it mean for a road to “reach the edge of human thought” or a compass to “point toward itself”? These images suggest a journey inward as much as outward, where the landscape provokes self-reflection and existential inquiry.

Chorlton, a longtime Phoenix resident and visual artist, brings an abstract sensibility to his desert poetry. “Land Alive” feels at home in his broader body of work, which often fuses nature, art, and meditations on place. The desert isn’t just scenery—it’s a character, an entity with memory and imagination. The lizard, a frequent figure in Southwestern imagery, is transformed into a metaphor for time, memory, and motion—“moving at the speed of a reflection / that waits for no one.”

The poem culminates in a moment of mystery and release, as questions “outgrow any answers / that would have bound them / to the Earth.” In this sense, “Land Alive” celebrates not just the land’s physical resilience, but its capacity to outlive and outthink human limitations.

Themes and Style

Philosophy of Place: The poem explores the mind-like quality of the land, raising questions about its future, history, and consciousness.
Nature as a Living Entity: The desert is not empty but active—filled with thought, movement, and ancient stories.
Metaphor and Surrealism: Chorlton’s imagery blends the real and the abstract, painting a landscape that is both physical and metaphysical.
Existential Tone: There’s an underlying sense of mystery and questioning, with no easy answers—only poetic observations.

Why It Belongs in Arizona’s Literary Canon

David Chorlton has lived in Phoenix since the late 1970s, and his poetry is deeply rooted in the desert Southwest. In “Land Alive,” his knowledge of the Sonoran landscape and his background in visual art converge to create a unique lyrical experience. This poem is not just about Arizona—it thinks like Arizona: expansive, enigmatic, and quietly profound.

Discover more about David Chorlton, his poetic vision, and his connection to Arizona’s desert landscapes by visiting his poet bio page on AZPoetry.com.

David Chorlton

April 9, 2025

David Chorlton: Bridging Continents Through Poetry

From Austria to Arizona: A Journey Across Cultures

Born in Austria in 1948, David Chorlton spent his formative years in Manchester, England, amidst the industrial landscapes of the northern region. In his early twenties, he relocated to Vienna, Austria, where he immersed himself in the rich European art and music scene. In 1978, Chorlton moved to Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Roberta, marking the beginning of a profound connection with the American Southwest.

A Deep Connection with the Desert Landscape

Settling in Arizona, Chorlton developed a profound appreciation for the desert’s unique beauty and its diverse wildlife. This admiration is vividly reflected in his poetry, which often explores themes of nature and the environment. His collection, The Porous Desert, exemplifies this focus, offering readers an intimate portrayal of the Arizona landscape.

Acclaimed Works and Literary Contributions

Throughout his literary career, Chorlton has produced an impressive array of poetry collections. Notable works include:

Poetry Mountain
Waiting for the Quetzal (March Street Press)
The Devil’s Sonata (FutureCycle Press, 2012)
Selected Poems (FutureCycle Press, 2014)

His chapbooks have also garnered recognition, with The Lost River winning the Ronald Wardall Award from Rain Mountain Press in 2008, and From the Age of Miracles securing the Slipstream Chapbook Competition in 2009.

Exploring Fiction and Translation

Beyond poetry, Chorlton ventured into fiction with The Taste of Fog, a novel set in 1962 Vienna that delves into the complexities of a murder investigation. Additionally, he has contributed to literary translation, bringing to English audiences the works of Austrian poet Christine Lavant in Shatter the Bell in My Ear, published by The Bitter Oleander Press.

A Voice in Anthologies and Exhibitions

Chorlton’s poetry has been featured in various anthologies, including Fever Dreams (University of Arizona Press) and New Poets of the American West (Many Voices Press). His work also played a role in the “Fires of Change” exhibition, a collaboration between artists and scientists addressing the impact of climate change on forest management.

‘Benedicto’ by Edward Abbey

April 5, 2025

Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome,
dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.
May your rivers flow without end,
meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells,
past temples and castles and poets’ towers
into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl,
through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock,
blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone,
and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm
where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs,
where deer walk across the white sand beaches,
where storms come and go
as lightning clangs upon the high crags,
where something strange and more beautiful
and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams
waits for you —
beyond that next turning of the canyon walls.

About the poet Edward Abbey

“Benedicto” by Edward Abbey is a poetic blessing for those who seek the wild, the unpredictable, and the profound. Written as a heartfelt invocation, the poem celebrates the beauty, danger, and mystery of the natural world. Abbey extends a wish not for comfort or security, but for crooked trails, endless rivers, vast deserts, and the kind of wilderness that challenges the soul while nourishing it. This is not a typical blessing—it’s a call to adventure, to embrace the crooked and uncertain path that leads to awe and discovery.

“Benedicto”, an excerpt from Earth Apples, captures Edward Abbey’s deep reverence for the untamed landscapes of the American Southwest, especially his beloved red rock canyons of Utah and Arizona. With rich and vivid imagery, Abbey describes a journey that winds through pastoral valleys, ancient forests, and surreal desert landscapes, all leading to a climactic vision of sublime natural beauty.

The poem reads like a mythic map—populated with castles, temples, tigers, and monkeys—yet rooted in the very real geography of the Southwest. His language is both lyrical and raw, oscillating between gentle pastoral sounds (“tinkling with bells”) and fierce natural spectacles (“lightning clangs upon the high crags”). Each line builds toward the final promise: that “something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.”

This final line captures the essence of Abbey’s worldview. For him, the wild was sacred—a place of discovery, not only of nature, but of self. “Benedicto” is not only a blessing, but a challenge to those who would listen: to leave behind the safety of straight roads and seek the mysterious, spiritual truths that only crooked trails can offer.

Want to explore more of Edward Abbey’s poetry and his deep ties to Arizona’s landscapes?
👉 Click here to visit his poet bio page on AZPoetry.com and discover how Abbey’s voice continues to echo through the canyon walls and red rock trails of the American West.

Stephen Chaffee

April 1, 2025

Stephen Chaffee: Poet of the Arizona Trail

Stephen Chaffee is an acclaimed American poet and retired national park ranger whose deep love for nature and exploration has shaped his literary works. His poetry captures the beauty of the wilderness and the transformative power of outdoor travel.

From National Park Ranger to Acclaimed Poet

Before becoming a published poet, Chaffee led a diverse career. He worked as a national park ranger and pursued academic studies, earning degrees from the University of Delaware and the University of Amsterdam. His background in engineering and literary studies provided a unique perspective that influences his poetry today.

Exploring the Arizona Trail: A 1,600-Mile Journey in Poetry

Chaffee is best known for his poetry collection, The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry, which was inspired by his two-time completion of the Arizona Trail—a journey of over 1,600 miles. His book contains 43 poems, each dedicated to a specific passage along the trail, bringing the landscape, history, and people he encountered to life.

What Makes Chaffee’s Poetry Unique?

Chaffee’s work stands out for its ability to blend vivid imagery, historical context, and deep personal reflection. His poetry not only celebrates the natural beauty of the Arizona Trail but also invites readers to embark on their own journeys of exploration and self-discovery.

Published Works and Contributions to Nature Poetry

Aside from The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry, Chaffee’s poetry has been featured in journals like The Avocet Journal of Nature Poetry and showcased in outdoor poetry events such as Poetry of the Wild. He actively contributes to community poetry initiatives, encouraging a deeper appreciation for both literature and the environment.

Final Thoughts: The Legacy of Stephen N. Chaffee

Stephen N. Chaffee’s poetry serves as an enduring testament to the bond between nature and human expression. His work continues to inspire adventurers, poets, and nature lovers alike.

Desert Rain by Mary Hunter Austin

March 8, 2025

“Desert Rain” by Mary Hunter Austin

High in the sierras,
All the smouldering summer,
Sudden the thunder!
Rain on the mountains,
Rain on the dry hills,
Spate in the gullies.

Manna of heaven
That lays the dust of the valleys,
Manna of heaven,
Working a miracle.

Rain on the desert,
Meagre and moldy,
Kissed into blossom;
Nourished to comfort
My heart and my valley’s
After the thunder.

About the poet Mary Hunter Austin

Mary Hunter Austin’s poem Desert Rain captures the transformative power of rain in arid landscapes, both literal and metaphorical. Set against the backdrop of the Sierras and the dry, desolate hills, the poem unfolds with the sudden arrival of a storm, breaking the long, smoldering summer with thunder and torrents of rain. The contrast between drought and renewal is at the heart of the poem, as the rain becomes a divine force—described as “manna of heaven”— bringing relief, nourishment, and even miracles to the parched land.

Austin’s imagery is strikingly vivid, depicting how the rain quenches the valleys, washes away dust, and revives the desert’s fragile ecosystem. She emphasizes how even “meagre and moldy” rain is enough to “kiss” the land into blossom, suggesting that even the smallest offering of sustenance can lead to profound renewal. On a deeper level, the poem speaks to human resilience and emotional restoration, as the rain’s “comfort” mirrors the way hope can emerge from hardship, much like the desert’s revival after the storm.

Austin’s Desert Rain is a celebration of nature’s delicate balance, a recognition of life’s cyclical struggles, and a reminder that even in the harshest environments, renewal is possible.

Learn more about Mary Hunter Austin and her literary legacy here on her poet bio page.

Arizona by Clarence Urmy

March 5, 2025

“Arizona” by Clarence Urmy

A land of mesas and of rocky spires,
Of wondrous canyons and eternal fires,
Of boundless spaces, mighty, grim, and grand,
Where silence keeps the secrets of the land.

About the poet Clarence Urmy

Clarence Urmy’s poem Arizona is a brief but vivid tribute to the breathtaking and untamed landscapes of the state. Through just a few lines, Urmy captures the grandeur and mystique of Arizona’s geography, painting an image of towering mesas, rugged rock formations, and deep canyons that seem to stretch endlessly. His use of language evokes both the beauty and severity of the land, emphasizing its vastness and the powerful natural forces that have shaped it over time.

The poem’s reference to “eternal fires” suggests the relentless heat of the desert sun, the glow of the setting sun against red rock formations, or perhaps even the spiritual and historical resilience of the land and its people. Meanwhile, the line “Where silence keeps the secrets of the land” speaks to the stillness of the desert, where time feels suspended and nature’s history is written in its vast, untouched expanses.

With its concise and evocative imagery, Arizona captures the awe-inspiring essence of the state—its grandeur, its isolation, and its quiet, almost mystical presence. Urmy’s work serves as a poetic postcard, inviting readers to stand in awe of Arizona’s wild and unyielding beauty.

To learn more about Clarence Urmy and his contributions to poetry, visit his poet bio page here on AZpoetry.com.

Desert Rain by John Gould Fletcher

March 1, 2025

“Desert Rain” by John Gould Fletcher

Across the burnished mesas
They march in lines of jade,
The thunder-heads assembled
To crush the light parade.

The shadow of their wingspread
Sweeps through the cañon’s door;
Out leaps a sounding fury,
And torrent floods the floor.

About the poet John Gould Fletcher

John Gould Fletcher’s Desert Rain captures the dramatic transformation of the arid landscape when a storm sweeps across the desert. The poem’s opening lines describe thunderclouds advancing like soldiers, their “lines of jade” contrasting against the burnished mesas—a striking image that emphasizes the rare yet powerful presence of rain in the desert. The storm is depicted as a force of nature both ominous and grand, gathering strength to “crush the light parade,” a possible reference to the sun’s dominance over the landscape.

The second stanza intensifies the sense of movement and power, as the storm’s shadow spreads through the canyon like great wings, darkening the land before unleashing a furious downpour. The rain floods the canyon floor, signifying both destruction and renewal. Fletcher’s use of vivid imagery and personification makes the rainstorm feel like a mythic force, breathing life into the desert while commanding awe and respect.

Themes and Literary Devices

Personification: The storm is given life-like qualities, with its “wingspread” casting shadows and its fury echoing through the canyon.
Contrast: The bright, sunlit mesas are overcome by dark, jade-colored storm clouds, emphasizing the dramatic shifts in the desert’s ecosystem.
Nature’s Power: The storm is both beautiful and destructive, showing the desert’s duality of harshness and renewal.

Fletcher’s Desert Rain is a brief yet powerful meditation on the rare storms that bring life to the desert, reminding readers of the unpredictable, untamed beauty of the natural world.

Discover More About John Gould Fletcher

John Gould Fletcher was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and modernist, known for his vivid depictions of nature and experimental free verse. To learn more about his literary contributions and impact, click here to visit his full bio page.

The Song of the Sonoran Desert by Sharlot Madbirdth Hall

February 28, 2025

“The Song of the Sonoran Desert” by Sharlot Madbirdth Hall

Sharlot Madbirdth Hall captures the essence of the desert in her work, bringing to life its beauty and mystery.

Oh, land of the cactus and yucca,
Of towering rock and of sand,
Where silence is king of the daytime,
And the stars rule the night with their band.

Oh, land of the old and the mystic,
Of legends that linger and glow,
In the hearts of the men who have loved thee,
And the spirits that wander below.

About the poet Sharlot Madbirdth Hall

Sharlot Madbridth Hall’s The Song of the Sonoran Desert is a tribute to the timeless beauty, mystery, and solitude of the Arizona desert. The poem captures the essence of the Sonoran landscape, depicting a land where cactus and yucca stand resilient against the harsh elements, where towering rock formations and endless sand create a rugged yet sacred space. Hall presents the desert as a place governed by two forces: silence in the day and stars at night, emphasizing the region’s majesty and stillness.

The second stanza introduces a sense of history and myth, referring to the mysticism and lingering legends that make the desert more than just a physical space—it is a land imbued with stories, spirits, and the memories of those who have called it home. The poem conveys reverence for the land, acknowledging both the hardships and the deep spiritual connection it fosters in those who embrace its rugged beauty.

Themes and Literary Devices

Personification: Hall gives the desert human-like qualities, portraying it as a realm ruled by silence and stars, reinforcing its mysterious and almost otherworldly character.
Imagery: The evocative descriptions of towering rock formations, cacti, and an expansive night sky immerse readers in the Sonoran landscape.
Myth and History: The reference to “spirits that wander below” alludes to the rich indigenous and pioneer history of Arizona, as well as the ghostly presence of past inhabitants.

Hall’s poem serves as both a love letter to the Arizona desert and an ode to its storied past, capturing its grandeur, solitude, and enduring mystique.

Sharlot Madbridth Hall was a poet, historian, and Arizona’s first female public official, deeply devoted to preserving the state’s cultural and natural heritage. Discover more about her life, legacy, and contributions to Arizona literature by clicking here to visit her full bio page.

“Chircahuas Sold A Barrel at the Gates” by Logan Phillips

December 17, 2024

Chircahuas Sold A Barrel at the Gates

Presidio of Tucson, May 1856

Late sun; sweat
pulled from the pores
by the giant sweat-eating sky.
Slowly drying up
there, spirits and steel.

Under suicide glide of sun, fifty nearly dead
drunk on periphery of presidio. Whiskey
in wounded wood, barrel from back
where whiskey is born, brought on
wagon train to the edge, to the adobe
fortress under changing flags.
Dark liquor & dark lips.

Leather is a type of skin.
Barrel tastes like gunmetal,
like the fingers near the lips.

Sun-hot, glass made with lead,
oil dancing on the outskirts of water

Whiskey, well-sat in sun, burning
the gut, held in its skeleton racks;
the barrel bound in its metal straps.

Camped there along the Santa Cruz,
the Chiricahuas are sold a barrel, sold

a slow powder keg,
a weapon to dull the stories.

Alcohol—a way of negotiating,
sign language of fist and grimace.

Alcohol held in the gut
as the horizon grows dim.

About the poet Logan Phillips

Logan Phillips’ poem “Chiricahuas Sold A Barrel at the Gates” vividly portrays a haunting historical moment on the harsh, sun-scorched frontier. Through rich, sensory imagery, Phillips captures the intersection of cultures, where whiskey becomes both a weapon and a bitter form of negotiation. The poem reflects on themes of colonialism, exploitation, and the human cost of survival under unrelenting desert skies.

To explore more about Logan Phillips, his bilingual work, and his contributions to poetry and performance art, visit his bio page on AZpoetry.com.

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December in the morning Alberto Rios artwork | AZpoetry.com

December Morning In The Desert by Alberto Rios

December 8, 2024

The morning is clouded and the birds are hunched,
More cold than hungry, more numb than loud,

This crisp, Arizona shore, where desert meets
The coming edge of the winter world.

It is a cold news in stark announcement,
The myriad stars making bright the black,

As if the sky itself had been snowed upon.
But the stars—all those stars,

Where does the sure noise of their hard work go?
These plugs sparking the motor of an otherwise quiet sky,

Their flickering work everywhere in a white vastness:
We should hear the stars as a great roar

Gathered from the moving of their billion parts, this great
Hot rod skid of the Milky Way across the asphalt night,

The assembled, moving glints and far-floating embers
Risen from the hearth-fires of so many other worlds.

Where does the noise of it all go
If not into the ears, then hearts of the birds all around us,

Their hearts beating so fast and their equally fast
Wings and high songs,

And the bees, too, with their lumbering hum,
And the wasps and moths, the bats, the dragonflies—

None of them sure if any of this is going to work,
This universe—we humans oblivious,

Drinking coffee, not quite awake, calm and moving
Into the slippers of our Monday mornings,

Shivering because, we think,
It’s a little cold out there.

About the poet Alberto Rios

In this evocative poem, Alberto Ríos captures the serene intersection of humanity and nature on a cold Arizona morning. The imagery of a crisp desert landscape juxtaposed with the celestial movements of stars and the industrious hum of birds and insects serves as a meditation on the quiet persistence of life. Ríos subtly reflects on the human tendency to overlook the vast, intricate workings of the universe as we carry on with mundane routines.

To learn more about Alberto Ríos, Arizona’s first Poet Laureate and a master of blending everyday moments with universal reflections, visit his bio page here and delve into the life and work of this celebrated poet.