Ipomoea arborescens

– Poem by Nell Smith & Photography by Jeremy Elliott –

 

 

Beyond the highway, 

the desert is abloom 

with white paper lanterns

or are they apertures 

the arid land giving way at last

the desert all washed out. 

It makes no sense, 

these circles of pure white

held up by barren arms.

Later, I read it is the 

Morning Glory Tree,

green during summer rains

and then this—a constellation 

of flowering that occurs only after

the leaves have dropped away.

 

 

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Nell Smith is a writer and field biologist currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and Environment & Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. Her poetry and prose have appeared in Essay Daily, Minding Nature, Entropy, Thin Air Magazine, and elsewhere.

 

 

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In Memoriam, Jeremy Elliott of JDE Studios was a photographer, mentor, teacher, guide, and community art and culture organizer living in the small town of San Luis, Colorado, at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Jeremy’s commitment to the community was felt by all who lived in San Luis. His art was featured in private collection and galleries across the Southwest, including in Taos and Santa Fe, NM. He passed away suddenly from Covid-19 on October 3, 2021, and will be remembered and missed by the entire San Luis community and many friends around the globe. View his Instagram @jeliott62280