Tom Robbins wrote some of my favorite books. I once co-wrote a poem titled “A Tom-Robbins Novel Kind of Obsession” that got its start from the book whose main character was a silver dessert spoon*. I know some people’s urine smells a particular way after they eat asparagus**. And I know a LOT about the graphic design of Camel cigarette packaging***.

One of the main things I think about, though, is how the character Switters**** holds the frequently-voiced opinion that the “tropics are just too goddam vivid.” Switters’s declaration was right there in my head when I made this photo.

And that poem? I appreciate your interest in it, but it is not safe for human consumption.

West Texas Master Gardeners – garden tour
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 6.20.2026

*Skinny Legs and All
**Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
***Still Life with Woodpecker
****Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates