See that porch’s gaslight? Its flame flickers
smaller and smaller as fuel fades away.
That’s us slowly dying. Yes. You snicker.
Feel I mean just you and me. Did you say,
after reading “Flight of the Bees,” “Oh, they’ll
come back?” Shall I cite Audubon’s harrowed
report? Twenty common bird species fell
70 fold in 40 years. Sparrow,
bobwhite, meadowlark…Shall I go on? No?
Let’s argue how humans encroach, adapt,
and expect smaller lives to ride our low
conveyor belt of change. Well, the belt’s snapped.
Can we fix it for our children, knowing
our limits? Let’s…Wait! Where are you going?
Roger Armbrust
June 20, 2007
