Vignette Poem by Juan Olivarez

The mountains covered in snow, are the focal point.
A sea of yellowish green creosote mark the land,
With scattered stands of cholla, in different shapes and sizes.
The land appears hilly and the rises and falls,
Give no hint of the innumerable gullies and washes,
That lie in wait.
The sand sparkles, with the priceless grains,
Many have sought for uncounted decades.
In the corners of the portrait immense Joshua trees,
Form the boundaries of the vignette,
And everything else fades around the edges.
So beautiful, so mysterious, so lonely, so grand.
Da Vinci? Michelangelo? No, not them.

2/22/12 Alton Texas