Sturt's Desert Rose

STURT'S DESERT ROSE


This ochred flower
on a desert cotton
blooms like a boon
after oasis making
rains. Pale crimson

petals keep spreading
into social embrace
as a stylised ensign;
the Northern Territory's
rustic coloured flag.

Shy bud of desert
gorges, it opens up
in gorgeous beauty
and a rose jewel of
the riven wilderness.