The desert is a wolf... A wolf whose heart men can not tame -- Whose parched and blistered throat breathes flame -- A wolf with fangs of jagged stones, Whose stealthy trail is marked by bones, Whose hungry cry re-echoes still Beyond the lonely windswept hill... The desert is a wolf. The desert is a snake, With eyes of green and ruby glass -- With rattle of dead summer grass -- A snake that dozes in the heat Beneath a blanket of mesquite -- That strikes at either friend or foe Who would the serpent's secrets know... The desert is a snake. The desert is a witch... A witch with joshua-trees for hands, Who by her seething cauldron stands -- And from the misty clouds that rise, Makes magic pictures in the skies; Who weaves a shining yellow veil To lure the wanderer from his trail... The desert is a witch. The desert is a singer... A Lorelei with wild-rose lips, Whose song drifts down from mountain tips... She sings of gold -- and jeweled sands -- And of the peace of lonely lands -- Soft winds -- And love without regret -- And dreams to make all men forget... The desert is a singer... | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A BIRTHDAY by LOUIS UNTERMEYER TO ANTHEA [WHO MAY COMMAND HIM ANYTHING] by ROBERT HERRICK THE KISS by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR MY LITTLE GIRL by SAMUEL MINTURN PECK PHANTOMS ALL by HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD IO VICTIS by WILLIAM WETMORE STORY |