The Drought in Wichita Falls
Some say the city will dry up
and be forgotten,
while others prefer
to keep quiet
and go about their days,
watering lawns at designated times
and displaying their faith
in the Good Lord with
signs petitioning
the Catholics and skeptics
to petition the Good Lord,
in his anger and wrath,
to show mercy
upon this patch of earth,
no less than three-quarters dirt,
where prayers escape
from a crack between the doors
of the church
to go and twist among the branches
of mesquite trees –
all thorn and no rose:
sharp reminder of Eve’s curse
and the pang of hope
for Adam’s redemption.
