Paloma – Highway
Invading asphalt
cuts through red hills
where songbirds perched on juniper trees
sing homage to the lowering sun
and recall not-so-ancient times
when relatives weren’t killed
by angry roaring shuttles
on gravel and tar tracks
Feathers still ruffle
on a decapitated owl
long claws partly closed
its final swoop incomplete
Logging trucks thunder by
hauling tree corpses
drenched in diesel fumes
silently wailing shadow
of a pine grove
disappears over the ridge
carried to mills
to be ground into pulp
for important matters
like disposable plates
and tissue paper
Paloma
Feb. 2 1997 Earth First!
paloma_gal (at) yahoo.com
Date: September 4, 2011
Categories: Paloma