I Wouldn’t Know

Smoke obscures this view

What lurks beyond the stinging haze?

A wan beau ideal

that hope cast off in pouring rain

Turn and close your eyes

then weep, lament the waning day

Limn the pale aspect

those tamed beliefs and fading fame

Rain in the Desert

The desert doesn’t react all that well to water.  Oh, sure, it needs water.  But when the liquidy stuff descends from on high and assaults the ground, the hard soil puts up it defenses.  It becomes a wall that repels the water.   So it doesn’t seep into the earth, it puddles in the roads.  Well, more than puddles.  It creates lakes.

Now, in this little town of mine the roads are bad enough without the addition of gallons and gallons of water.  Add that and driving here is more fearsome than usual.  A number of streets become virtually impassable because of running water.  So, I had to go way out of my way just to pick up the kids today.  It’s infuriating.

Unfortunately, the roads don’t just flood with water when it rains; they’re also flooded by morons.  Desert people, in general, don’t seem to know how to drive in … weather.  There’s your jerks in the big trucks who just motor on down the road like the water isn’t there, sending it spewing onto the vehicles all around them.  Then there’s the people who are frightened to death at the very sight of water on the road.  They’ve got to stop the minute they see the stuff.  Dead stop.  In the road.  Oh, there are other people on the road, you say?  Who cares, man, there’s, like, water here!!  AAAHHH!!  Water!

Morons.