April 10, 2013

First Draft of "Progress on the Exclusive Tennis Club"

Forgive them for they knew not what they did

Where once
Mississippi  
Condors
(Black and Turkey Vultures)
Wintered in wetland hardwoods

See now

Bulldozed mud and pools 
You can't disguise the stream
(the engineers call it a ditch)
awaiting tonight's big rain.

Every tree

Save three hemlocks
Scraggling on the hillside
Wheeled away during Holy Week
For pencils and paper

My condors

Visited the roof ridge across the way
Wings wide-spread
Like Angels 
Standing shoulder to shoulder.

Perhaps next year 
They'll take to the limbs on  the other side 

Of the someday clay 
tennis courts and swimming pool
Tonight, silent soils weep.


1 comment:

  1. Very sad, Smitty. I hate to see Nature disrupted for our greedy endeavors. We have managed to make a mess of everything. Have you thought about joining a group of environmentalists? There is greater power in numbers. There is a group that was started here over 2 decades ago that has a powerful voice in the community and tackles legislative issues and permits dealing with the environment.

    ReplyDelete

I welcome your thoughts. Keep me honest~