Desert Times

Deserts seem like huge wastelands,

wide stretches of wind-swept sand

and prickly shriveled cacti plants.

Yet dryness actually causes cacti
to bloom, to produce delicate
flowers of pink, purple, and gold,

according to botanists.

Our own arid times that span out 

like parched arroyos carved into our souls

perhaps can birth beauty too

if we allow God to hollow out our egos

and let our true selves emerge

in full blossom, radiant and alive,

ablaze with a fire that never goes out,

overflowing with a love that touches 
    all the desolate places of the world.