Down by the rumbling creek and the tall trees-
Where I went truant from school three days a week
And therefore broke the record-
There were violets as easy in their lives
As anything you have ever seen
Or leaned down to intake the sweet breath of.
Later, when the necessary houses were built
They were gone, and who give significance
To their absence.
Oh, violets, you did signify, and what shall take
Your place?
The necessary houses have been built on the island of Puerto Rico where I now awaken. I can’t see the sun’s rising because I’m up high in a rain forest and mist clings all around. This forest is a remnant of once was, and so is the population of the Puerto Rican Parrot, one of the most endangered birds in the world. I have spent the night at one of the aviaries, and hear through the swirling cloud the chattering of those in captivity who raise young to be released to the wild flock, which is now growing. Millions upon millions have been spent to save this bird, and decades of dedicated work by hundreds of conservationists is now bearing fruit. It is clear to me that this bird signifies a great deal and its absence would be sorely missed.
What might disappear from your world and could anything take its place? How?
I was just talking to my sister about honeysuckles and how when we were young there were great tangles of them spilling over fences and corkscrewing around cables..and now without me even noticing they're just gone. Where have they gone?
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