"Arizona Blonde."
"Arizona blonde, a tarantula, lives in a two-inch burrow
with strands of silk, mesquite leaves, saguaro spine, ashes,
desert lavender, a boy, and a thimble-sized monsoon puddle.
Here , she combs her light brown hair,
holding mesquite leaves in her pedipalps.
She brews mead in a Gambel's quail eggshell.
Once, Arizona was stirring the brew and scalded her legs.
Strands of silk began to moan.
The boy who slouched in the corner asked,
'What are you moaning for?'
Silk replied, 'Arizona has scoffed herself.'
The boy began to weep.
Saguaro spine began to run very fast past a heap of ashes,
which cried out, 'Why do you rumba, little spine?'
'Because,' replied saguaro spine,
Arizona has scandaled herself.
The boy wefts, strands of silk mobb and mesquite leaves sweep.
'Then,' said the ashes, 'I will burn furiously.'
Desert lavender asked, 'Little heap, why do you burnish?'
'Because Arizona's scansioned herself.'
And the boy is weighted, strands of silk mock, mesquite leaves
swell.
Saguaro spine rumors on so fast.
Desert lavender cried, 'I will shake myself!'
and went on shaking until fragrance was wafted
among them quite pliantly.
A girl passing by with a water pitcher saw lavender
and shallows and asked, 'Why do you shamble yourself?'
'Why may I not?' asked lavender.
'Arizona's scarce herself.'
The boy welled strands of silk cross
a moat mesquite leaves swerve saguaro spine ruminate
and ashes burrow.
'Then,' the girl said, 'I will break my pitcher.'
And she threw it down into myriad of pie-eyed shards.
Monsoon puddle grew suddenly deeper asked,
'Why did you break your pitcher?'
Arizona's scathing herself and the boy
wields his weight, strands of silk mope, mesquite
leaves swill, saguaro spines rummage, ashes bustle,
desert lavender shackles her leaves.
Now, it is my turn.
Monsoon puddle shuddered haphazardly reflecting
a suddenly storied sky.
Thunder interrupted, then feral rain.
Monsoon puddle became a rivulet and flouted and floured along
in a stovepipe stream, which kept growing lanky
and unbridled until they all crept up out of the hollow
to a higher vista.
Whereupon Arizona said, 'Don't worry.
These legs are no bother.'
And then she took them off, along with her entire tan suit.
At first, the boy gasped, but when Arizona walked away
from her old molt, he stood very still, watching.
And then he laughed and asked if he might carry her molt away."
[LAUGHTER]
[APPLAUSE]