All the birds have had their migration routes disrupted
I had two ducks in my swimming pool in the dead of winter.
The crows are outside compaining that their migratory route
in place for centuries has been replaced by houses
and their trees cut down; no place to rest,
their calls wailing.
The doves have abandoned nesting trees they have used for years
because the new neighborhood has too many cats
and now too many dead birds;
the humming pair avoid the feeder because the cats
know they will come there to eat
Ants go deep into the ground seeking water
in the California drought
and come up in August head into houses
drinking from leaky water hoses
marching in single file protest.
My annuals bloom too early, don't really mature and die young.
My evergreens are always thirsty since there is water rationing now
and you end up letting the lawn die
while animals roam
because in the bad economy
people don't want to feed them
Spring brings cat fights,
for females and territory
and feline fever
and vet bills
because the strays mount.
Spring is depressed this year
Nature lies confused
under the hard clay.
Let us hope that California has better springs to come… But earthquakes are inevitable. My neighbor has lots of cats, but we have lots of mourning doves, nesting, because of my large trees and water we put out during the Texas drought. Thirty years ago, when this development was being built, we had many robins in the spring. That migration route has been disrupted and I have seen robin in many years.
We have many flowers blooming already (heavily watered because of the drought) but I've seen very few bees and no butterflies so far… Only one hummingbird.
First Edition Translation of Teselas by Carmen Crespo X111 César Simón Poetry Prixe 2016 Translated from Spanish by Robin Ouzman Hislop and Amparo Arrospíde
Dear readers, this is my third book of poems, and inside are a special collection of what have turned out to be not only MY personal favorites, but also the favorites of many of YOU. Some of these have never been available in print before...
But it's a clash that Nature always wins.
We have many flowers blooming already (heavily watered because of the drought) but I've seen very few bees and no butterflies so far… Only one hummingbird.
Ron
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