Desert Flowers
Photos/Connie Ann Santos.
By Ashley Vargas (Ms.Ayevee)
Written on a hot summer’s day in Sandy Valley, Nevada
Desert sand and the scent of fresh flowers fill the air
Sun kissing my skin
Blushing, I glissen
This place feels like home to me
Comfort carried on a warm dry breeze
The sky
Clear and vast
It echoes with an ancient silence
Full of life
Full of stories
Just waiting to be heard
Waiting to be told
Just waiting
Patiently
Like petals waiting to be smelled
God speaks to us in flowers
Sweet and subtle
Tiny miracles
Unapologetically vibrant
The desert is full of flowers if you know where to look
Nestled in tiny pockets of shade
Existing in barren landscapes
Miracles thrive
Under a scolding sun and a dusty wind
Miracles bloom
Like tiny flowers
Finding their way
Always thriving
Always finding
Always growing
“A flower blooming in the desert proves to the world that adversity, no matter how great, can be overcome.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
Always Growing
In July 2020 I found myself seeking solace in the desert hills of Sandy Valley, Nevada. Only one hour outside of Las Vegas, but this desert refuge felt a world away from the darkened neon-less abyss quarantine had made of my hometown.
At the time, I felt disconnected from everything. The new contactless reality had taken a toll on my psyche. I was starting to feel like I didn’t know who I was anymore. After all, is a poet still a poet without a place to perform or anyone to listen? What would become of my nine-year career as a Massage Therapist? I hoped the desert would hold the answers to what seemed like impossible questions.
I laid in the sand and listened to the silence. I caught the subtle scent of flowers and laughed thinking, “how could flowers grow out here?” My body was engulfed by the rays of a hot summer sun as beads of sweat found their way to the ground. Nestled in a pocket of shade I saw a tiny a white flower. Next to it were two bulbs waiting to bloom.
I wondered, what if the answer I was looking for was simply to find my own shade and bloom?
It was at that moment that my poem, Desert Flowers, was born.
Photo/Connie Ann Santos.
Ashley Vargas, also known by her stage name Ms.AyeVee, is a Las Vegas native who garnered popularity through her raw storytelling and poetry. Her mission is to effect positive change in both the community and business. As owner of Realistic Wellness, she has helped to bring massage therapy, meditation, and yoga into the lives of everyday people for over nine years. In this new COVID world Ms.AyeVee has brought her love for her community online by facilitating poetry workshops, events, and features for Poetry Promise Inc. and Nevada Humanities. Recently, she founded an Instagram exclusive video poetry competition called Beyond The Neon Poetry Slam.
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