Guest guest Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 - Gill Eardley Allspirit Thursday, March 06, 2003 10:31 AM [allspirit] Bestiary Bestiary by Dr. Joanna Macy short-tailed albatross whooping crane gray wolf peregrine falcon hawksbill turtle jaguar rhinocerosIn Geneva, the international tally of endangered species, kept up to date inlooseleaf volumes, is becoming too heavy to lift. Where do we now record thepassing of life? What funerals or farewells are appropriate? reed warbler swallow-tailed butterfly Manx shearwater Indian python howler monkey sperm whale blue whaleDive me deep, brother whale, in this time we have left. Deep in our mother oceanwhere once I swam, gilled and finned. The salt from those early seas still runsin my tears. Tears are too meager now. Give me a song...a song for a sadness toovast for my heart, for a rage too wild for my throat. anteater antelope grizzly bear brown bear Bactrian camel Nile crocodile American alligatorOoze me, alligator, in the mud whence I came. Belly me slow in the richprimordial soup, cradle of our molecules. Let me wallow again, before we drainyour swamp, before we pave it over and blast it to ash. gray bat ocelot marsh mouse blue pike red kangaroo Aleutian goose Audouin's seagullQuick, lift off. Sweep me high over the coast and out, farther out. Don't landhere. Oil spills coat the beach, rocks, sea. I cannot spread my wings glued withtar. Fly me from what we have done, fly me far. golden parakeet African ostrich Florida panther Galapagos penguin Imperial pheasant leopard Utah prairie dogHide me in a hedgerow, badger. Can't you find one? Dig me a tunnel through leafmold and roots, under the trees that once defined our fields.My heart is bulldozed and plowed over. Burrow me a labyrinth deeper thanlonging. thick-billed parrot zone-tailed pigeon desert bandicoot Southern bald eagle California condor lotus blue butterflyCrawl me out of here, caterpillar. Spin me a cocoon. Wind me to sleep in ashroud of silk, where in patience my bones will dissolve. I'll wait as long asall creation if only it will come again and I take wing. Atlantic Ridley turtle pearly mussel helmeted hornbill sea otter humpback whale monk seal harp sealSwim me out beyond the ice floes, mama. Where are you? Boots squeeze my ribs,clubs drum my fur, the white world goes black with the taste of my blood. gorilla gibbon sand gazelle swamp deer musk deer cheetah chinchilla Asian elephant African elephantSway me slowly through the jungle. There still must be jungle somewhere, myheart drips with green secrets. Hose me down by the waterhole, there is buckshotin my hide. Tell me the old stories while you can remember. fan-tailed flycatcher flapshell tortoise crested ibis hook-billed kite bobcat frigate birdIn the time when his world, like ours was ending, Noah had a list of animals,too. We picture him standing by the gangplank, calling their names, checkingthem off on his scroll. Now we also are checking them off. ivory-billed woodpecker brown pelican Florida manatee Canada gooseWe reenact Noah's ancient drama, but in reverse, like a film running backwards,the animals exiting. ferret curlew cougar wolfYour tracks are growing fainter. Wait. Wait. This is a hard time.------------Allspirit Website: http://www.allspirit.co.ukGroup homepage: allspirit/: allspirit-un: allspirit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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