(In November of 2012, Tom Markey and I posted an article, Ecocide Arizona Style — The Cow That Ate The West. The article was about the disappearing water in the San Simon Valley in southeast Arizona. This poem suggest the verdict is in.)
Ecocide Arizona Style
The west is dying of thirst. You can hear it in the cracked riverbeds, in cottonwoods gone skeletal, in the silence where frogs used to sing.
The Colorado staggers, a vein opened too long, bled for lawns, for swimming pools, for another desert empire of cul-de-sacs.
This is not drought— this is the verdict. We were warned, and we kept on building as if the sky were infinite.
Mark it well: when the last drop dries, sand covers the southwest, the desert will not mourn us. It will simply take itself back.
The desert blooms in whispered gold, Where cacti wear their crowns so bold. Ocotillo flames in red delight, And poppies spark the morning light.
The saguaros lift their arms in praise, To sun-soft winds and lengthened days. A hummingbird, a buzzing thread, Weaves springtime through the riverbed.
Where once was dust, now color clings— In Sonoran spring, the silence sings.
Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw — Image by kenne
“It’s something about this final point—the fact they’re so ancient—that brings me perspective and stillness. In a universe thought to be 14 billion years old, and with a bird that has been around so very long, watching them inspires me to keep my short life in perspective, helps me clarify the course I want to take, what my landing spots might be, how best to use my wild and precious life (to quote another poet, Mary Oliver).”
Lilac-banded Longtail or Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes) — Image by kenne (October 2, 2022)
This is the first time I’ve seen, and photographed Lilac-banded Longtail or Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes), a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Argentina, north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Texas and peninsular Florida. Strays can be found as far north as northern California, southern Arizona, southern Missouri and southern Georgia. — Source: iNaturalist
Ash-throated Flycatcher Near Tubac Along The Santa Cruz River
Ash-throated Flycatcher Near Tubac Along The Santa Cruz River
Lesser Goldfinch In A Mesquite Tree
Albert’s Towhee — Images by kenne
One of the birding trips I went on during last month’s Tucson Audubon Society’s annual birding festival was to Tubac, which is located near the Santa Cruz River. These are a few of the better shots I was able to get while there.
Since I live in the Tucson area and often hiked trails in and around Tubac, most all the birds we saw I can see from my patio. The major difference was being able to spend time with birders from all across the country and Mexico — an interesting group of people, if you get my drift.
— kenne
‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land – And on the strangest Sea – Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me.
