The Mesquite

Her name is Mesquite – she’s obstinate, resilient, defiant and resourceful. Resourceful, yes! Her taproot may go down more than 50 feet into the ground to search for life-giving water. Defiant, yes! Her needle sharp thorns grow up to 3 inches long and can puncture a sneaker or even a tire. The thorns at the ends of her branches protect them from hungry, eager animals. She’s beautiful to the traveler, offering shade and shelter.

She’s an abomination to the rancher as he believes that she strips the soil of moisture needed to make the rangeland grasses flourish.

She is shelter and food to the wild animals. The coyote, wild turkey, ground squirrel, jackrabbit and javelina eat her fruit, leaves, flowers and seeds. The bees make honey from her nectar. She enriches the soil with nitrogen which feeds the saguaro, other cacti, and a variety of desert plants.

She is my shelter today. The hot desert sun is trying its hardest to set me ablaze, but Mesquite’s tiny leaves are topped with small fuzzy hairs designed to deflect the sun’s harshest rays. She is waving her arms in the breeze, allowing only gentle sunshine through. I sit and I examine my benefactor. Her elephant hide reveals a scar on its largest trunk branch. Bark, like waves of fat, close in on the wound. I wonder what caused this beautiful blemish. As I look through the layers of branches and tiny leaves, patterns of sky are painted in blue. The canopy over my head reaches the ground in some places sifting out even more of the harsh desert light.

I’m so grateful that she was created for this time and that she is here in my desert sojourn. I sit and I relax and I ponder. How long has she been sheltering, is her job nearly finished? What has she seen in the years she’s been allowed to live and grow? What does she see when the desert moon brightens the night? When the coyotes howl and prowl, does she protect the tiny baby rabbits? As the javelina digs at the base of her trunks, does she wince with pain? Does she smile on this fanciful traveler resting under her branches?

Only her maker knows.