This land has been abandoned,
plowed once more
in a last act of faith
 
and then turned over to scrub,
which is both relentless
and in no hurry.
 
The well’s not dry, but too low
to risk running the pump
that’s gone to rust now.
 
Out in the field, weeds thrive,
keeping to themselves the secrets
of surviving a dry life.
 
 
____
Don Thompson is San Joaquin fauna who has been writing about the Valley for over fifty years. For more info and links to his books, visit his website at www.don-e-thompson.com.

Photography by Linda Foley.