Old Graves and Mesquite: two poems by Don Thompson

mesquite tree, image from Pixabay

Old Graves

Who, where and when—

Matters of fact

Carved in low-grade marble

Assert that death’s permanent.

But even such deep letters

Wear too thin to read

In time—as if memory

Has only been penciled in.

*

Mesquite

Branches the color of burnt bone,

but flaky, with leaves

a dull and lifeless green,

dusted with ashes.

But nothing here is more alive.

Its roots, deeper than despair,

find water where there is no water.

And it’s enough.

____________________

Don Thompson has been writing about

the San Joaquin Valley for over fifty years,

including a dozen or so books and chapbooks.

A San Joaquin Almanac won the Eric Hoffer

Award for 2021 in the chapbook category.

For more info and links to publishers, visit

his website at: www.don-e-thompson.com