SECRET INSIDE FLESH

In this barren

desert landscape

in this inhospitable soil

in scorching sunlight

and freeze of night

looking like an alien 

from elsewhere

a stranger

from a strange land

frozen in place

rooted in place

mighty saguaro

you stand

as if stricken

with only 

your thorny exterior

as your armor

against anything that might 

mean to do you harm

or come too close

what can you teach me

about self-protection

about safety

about self-respect

about boundaries

tell me what you know

about the secret inside flesh

the medicine we all carry

that must be guarded

with every inch 

of our tender

precious lives?