I Am An Elf Owl's Shadow

i had no idea the elf owl
crept into you
in the secret of night.
i have torn myself out of
many bitter places
in America, that seemed
tall and green-rooted
in mid-noon.
i wish i were
the spare shadow
of the roadrunner,
i wish i were
the honest lover
of the diamondback
and the tear
the tarantula weeps.
i had no idea
you were so tall
and blonde in moonlight.

i got thirsty
in the factories,
and i hated the
brutal dry suns there,
so i quit.
you were the shadow
of a hallway
in me.
i have never gone
through that door,
but the elf owl's face
is inside me.
saguaro,
you are not
one of the gods.
your green arms
lower and gather me.
i am an elf owl's shadow,
a secret member of your family.

--james wright
to the saguaro cactus tree in the desert rain
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Cactus Swing