I recently purchased the archive set of Desert Magazine, published form 1937 – 1985.  The early editions of the magainze always included poetry submmitted by readers, describing the beauty and mystery of the desert.  I plan on updating this page regularly with some of these poems, so check back often.

The Desert
God’s Garden of Peace

God gave to mankind the beauties of earth,
Of mountains, and lowlands and sea,
Rivers and lakes, forests and glades,
These wonderous gifts gave He.

But he kept for His own a Garden
rugged, forbidding, austere,
Sourrounded by peaks uplifted –
Snow-capped throughout the year.

And He draped it with marvelous colors
At dawn, and at set of sun,
And hung high in the sky the wonderful stars
To light it when day is done.

And He walks in His Garden at twilight
And all who would have surcease
From life’s toil and struggle, may find it
In the Desert, God’s Garden of Peace.

Nellie N. Coffman, Palm Springs, CA
November 1937 edition of Desert Magazine