Verse for newcomers

The summer rains come
they fill our dry washes
rivers appear in real life
like on maps of the area
the overflow gets into fields,
and yards
and houses
but hey
who built in those areas anyway
people from back east
who know nada of the desert
then they complain on TV
about flood control
and pray for a cessation of the rain
go home non-desert lover
these rains are our life blood
without them
you'd have no golf courses
or green front lawns
or olive trees
why
if you love our desert
must you try to change her
this is not the east coast
live WITH the desert
not just
in the desert
you had water
in Illinois
and Michigan
and New Jersey
so
why did you leave
you come here
to despoil our
terrascape
and deprive the desert animals
of home
and water
and food
you want to live in the wild
but
you don't want coyotes
javelina
bobcat
or puma near
they might injure little Fifi
with her new poodle cut
or eat up your flowers
that your landscape service
planted
waters
and cares for
you sit in your closed
air conditioned
overpriced houses
and admire the desert
through locked patio doors
and triple pane picture windows
ever thought of going outside
and actually being in the desert
****
I thought not