Callisaurus draconoides
Zebra-tailed lizard
Mary Ellen Bartholomew
You've seen her
little fast runner, striped tail erect
skitter off the trail, dust cloud
stop, look,
I’ll scare you
she says (I'm a scorpion!!)
darts after beetles, grasshoppers, flies, crickets, ants, bees, buds
dances in the afternoon sun, long front legs
or alternate legs (fancy dance)
I see you! tails!
in the Sonoran heat from spring until fall
sleep at dusk
in the dust under the creosote
tomorrow
sun, heat, crickets, dance
~~~~~
Mary Ellen has been a librarian for the National Park Service for more than twenty years. She has lived in and explored Tucson since 2002. This is her first poem.