Sonoran Desert Millipede

Though Sonoran Desert millipedes are nocturnal, this is the time of year when you see them out and about on muggy overcast days.  Sometimes even crossing the two lane blacktop roads near my home. When that occurs I invariably will see several millipedes crossing the road in the same area, causing me to wonder why we don’t have millipede crossing signs along the highway. At least seasonally like the “ice on bridge” of “watch for water” signs. And I think we could agree that a “Millipede Crossing” sign with the silhouette of a millipede would be an excellent sign. And hey, I know it is not likely that a millipede crossing sign will ever happen, but honestly if I had my way there would be crossing signs for every wild species found in the borderlands.

A couple notes: the photos are mine. The poem was originally written as part of a poetic inventory of the Saguaro National Monument East. Many writers, poets and at least one radio personality drew a species name from a hat and were asked to write about it. This was my contribution.