Imagination makes you see all sorts of things.
—Georgia O’Keeffe

Waiting
for the crimson blush of dusk
to slip into a darkened sky,
across its face and ours
a spray of stars.

Waiting
for the coyote’s howl, a whistle
of wind crossing the range,
scent of juniper in its gust, skid
of tumbleweed spreading seeds.

Waiting
for the churr of a nightjar’s song,
a scatter of skylight aglow
in clouds above the desert’s hum.
Waiting, waiting for night to fall.

Andrena Zawinski, a veteran teacher of writing, lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her poetry, memoir, and fiction have been lauded for social concern. Born Under the Influence is her fourth full-length collection of poetry.