Xeriscape

When she hands you a whale vertebra,you marvel at its heft, at a black

pebble lodged in a lateral nook;the hollyhocks out the window

stretch into sunshine; a dictionaryin the room is open to xeriscape;

the sidewalk and gravel heat all dayand release warmth into the night;

the woman who sits and writessees pressed aspen board, framers

setting window headers and doorjambs—here no polar bears rummage

at the city dump, no seal oil lampsflicker in the tide of darkness—

you know the influx of afternoonclouds, thunder, ball lightning,

wavering lines of rain that evaporatebefore they strike the ground,

as you carefully set the whale boneon the glass table next to the television.