Yucca glauca guards the painted sign
Larrea tridentata draws the line
I count the wheels that cross the span
Roots hold tight in the caliche pan
Toll road bloom in the alkali dust
Each passing car leaves a trail of rust
Petals open when the engine roars
Seeds ride west on the desert floors
Opuntia pads catch the morning dew
Agave parryi watches you
Receipts flutter where the wind decides
Xylem pulls what the sand provides
Toll road bloom in the alkali dust
Each passing car leaves a trail of rust
Petals open when the engine roars
Seeds ride west on the desert floors
Prosopis glandulosa shades the bench
Phloem moves what the roots can catch
I stamp the date on the weathered card
Life persists in the cracked shale yard
Toll road bloom in the alkali dust
Each passing car leaves a trail of rust
Petals open when the engine roars
Seeds ride west on the desert floors
No rain falls but the taproot knows
Water rises where the aquifer flows
Two voices speak in the photosynthesis
One collects the toll, one watches the genesis
Eriogonum fasciculatum blooms white
Guides the traveler through the night
Coins grow cold in the palm of steel
Life takes root on the gravel heel
Toll road bloom in the alkali dust
Each passing car leaves a trail of rust
Petals open when the engine roars
Seeds ride west on the desert floors
Toll road bloom where the pavement ends
Every root finds where the water bends
Spring reverb fades past the mesquite
Night blooms wait for the break of day
