Richard Lee's Letter Dated May 17, 1987

Spring in Joshua Tree

excerpt from a letter dated May 17, 1987

...Spring has sprung up here as well, and spring will
simply become summer without our being aware of any
huge catastrophe. We occasionally use our evaporative
coolers to keep cool. Snakes are out, slithering
around acting like snakes in the grass though
there is precious little grass up here for them to act
like snakes in the grass to begin with. (Don't mis-
understand me though. I like snakes. It has taken
some getting used to, but snakes have a place in
our hearts and in our eco system.)

I am writing and drawing here. My style has changed
too, has become more simple, non-metaphoric. More
straight out. Sometimes I write whole poems and
forget to put the poetry in. My wife shakes her head.
But it is like desert time, I guess, desert poetry.
Not that it matters one way or the other. I do what
I do and that is that. I have never expected
to make big changes on the literary scene....