Susurrus Arroyo

“ An arroyo (/əˈrɔɪoʊ/; Spanish: [aˈroʝo], "brook"), also called a wash, is a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain.[1] Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo. In Hispanic America any small river might be called arroyo, even if it flows continually all year and is never dry.”  pohu'u 'creek with water in it' <po 'water', /tu'it 'large groove' 'arroyo').

What a great word for something; arroyo

Just real close to susurrus, oddly

(Powerful and flows right off your tongue);

But gulch works too.  Like; “ the granite crag with the arch in the gulch and the other crag across

The canyon survey the arroyo below as the susurrus waters subside”.

Even if you don’t quite know what arroyo means exactly

But you know one when you see one

(…or hear one)

Or are in one or near one

Its all about water, the soil, the milieu, as it were

….and the  forest

….and how things are taken care of;

How things are taken care of;

How we take care of them and …

How they take care of us,

Bringing fresh life to any area

And, like many things; not entirely predictable

But it’s always smart to look upstream

As we walk the dry arroyo under the hot sun

And around the bend of the mesa up there;

Looking for dark dark clouds

(not a bad thing to look for in a drought down by the river bed)

And lightning and thunder

And then, perhaps, the rocks will thunder, too, as they crash into each other

Tumbling down the arroyo and then happily resting, cleansed, washed and

Surrounded by clean, crisp, squeaky sand and fine reddish silt and pine cones

After the flood; The Susurrus Arroyo!;

Feeding crystal clear pools to wonder at,

Like an 8 year old does by the sea, amongst the rocks; into tidal pools’ life forms…

Then perhaps the stroll leads to a cowboy bath;

Stripped naked beneath the rustic skyscraper gorge

Splash, kick and splash;

So beautiful it hurts your feelings.  

“Arroyos can be natural fluvial landforms or constructed flood control channels. The term usually applies to a sloped or mountainous terrain in xeric and desert climates. In addition: in many rural communities arroyos are also the principal transportation routes; and in many urban communities arroyos are also parks and recreational locations, often with linear multi-use bicycle, pedestrian, and equestrian trails. Flash flooding can cause the deep arroyos or deposition of sediment on flooded lands. This can lower the groundwater level of the surrounding area, making it unsuitable for agriculture. However a shallow water table lowered in desert arroyo valleys can reduce saline seeping and alkali deposits in the topsoil, making it suitable for irrigated farming”. ….They are also great for volleyball games and horseshoe throwing and gathering  sand, taking children down to them (or ducks)……..that’s what I’m  talkin’ about!!