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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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California

Environmental Trilogy Plus One opus 14

California is Burning; A Trilogy Plus One. Number One.

Smoke pervades the air, irritating the eye.
       California is burning.
Fire consumes the forest and the grassland.
       California is burning.
Hundreds of homes are engulfed and rendered to nothing.
       California is burning.

Cattle, sheep, horses, and chickens are homeless or dead.
But what of all the unmentioned, nor thought of wildlife,
which has obtained the same sad plight?
       California is burning.

What of all our driving, heating, and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 level,
which desiccate everything,
which leaves us an ever greater tinderbox?
       California is burning.

This burning is the manifestation of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

Florida is Flooding; A Trilogy Plus One. Number Two.

Water is pervading the sewers, backwashing the pavement.
       Florida is flooding.
Beaches are slowly eroding from a rising sea.
       Florida is flooding.
Homes are quietly rendered useless from soggy ground.
       Florida is flooding.

Pastures are continually wet, causing fungus to excel on hooves.
Puddles and standing water--a paradise for mosquito larvae!
       Florida is flooding.

What of all our driving, heating and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 level,
which allow for ever larger storms,
which yield evermore destruction?
       Florida is flooding.

These rising seas and greater storms are the manifestation
of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

The Tundra is Melting; A Trilogy Plus One.    Number Three.

Higher temperature pervades the north of our planet.
       The Tundra is melting.
Once frozen roads are now rendered useless from the melt.
       The Tundra is melting.
Homes and whole villages must be evacuated or physically moved.
       The Tundra is melting.

Icebergs are melting early to nothing,
Causing the hunting polar bear to invade the land.
       The Tundra is melting.

What of all our driving, heating, and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 and methane levels,
which are the source of warmer seas and atmosphere,
which affect the shoreline of the entire world?
       The Tundra is melting.

These melting icebergs and sinking Tundra lands are the manifestation
of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

The Rainforest is disappearing; A Trilogy Plus One.    Number Four.

The lungs of our planet are disappearing before the saw.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.
Humans, their hunger for converting the forest to pasture.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.
Rather than foraging the fruits of the forest; steaks are desired.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.

Gold discovery now escalates everything to an ever-greater fevered pace.
Clearing the land for grazing presses the collapse ever sooner.
       The Rainforest is disappearing.

What of our driving, heating, and air conditioning
which augment greater temperatures,
which elevate the CO2 level,
which lower the oxygen production of the forest,
which increase the relative CO2 level over all the world?
       The Rainforest is disappearing.

The reduction of the forest mass on the belt of our planet is the manifestation
of the neglect and mismanagement
of our very world--our only home.

Drums Across the Ocean (1978) opus 77

In Lesotho, Africa, where we lived,
Distant evening fires on the hillsides were often seen,
Accompanied by long bouts of drumming.
Surely, over there, was comradery accompanied by gulps of juala (sorghum beer).

After years in Africa, then Sweden,
I arrived in, of all places, Davis, California!
I was beginning to organize my new, 37 acre farm.
One evening, I was just taken out of myself,
When I saw fires on the slopes of the Coast Range,
And, sure enough, drums continually wafting on the breeze.
It was indeed a shock to be transported back
To the wonderful evening drums of my past, Lesotho, Africa.

Caught by a Catfish! opus 98

On one occasion (1985), using a 100 foot long seine and dragging the net from bank to bank (as always) we brought in a large number of catfish to harvest by the pond's edge. The top of a seine has cork floats and the bottom has a thick gathered rope mudline. As I was in my waders and working some snags away from shore, I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my right foot. Immediately I knew exactly what had occurred: A fish was caught sideways in the mudline, a barbed pectoral fin projecting straight upwards! Indeed, the fin had pierced my boot's sole, through the sock and into the ball of my foot. Instructing the student on the shore's end, to pull slowly as I limped in, I reached the bank, the fish connecting me with one fin to the line and the other in my foot-- Too painful to pull out, I reached down and snapped the bone, Thus freeing me from the fish and net, But still with a bone, locking the boot, sock, and foot together.

With great pain, the boot was dislodged, leaving a bare sock and foot (and fishbone)!

A trip to the nearby hospital, very painful anesthetic shots to numb the foot's pain, And the bone was removed, leaving a very sore, 'un-numbing' foot! After a drive back to the farm and to the evening chores, I started in limpingly to finish the end of the day's work. Such was the then life of a peasant on a farm with a PhD!

Recyling opus 107

Turned into the yard
With my load of recycling materials.
Metal scraps here, bins there--
Ordered chaos all around.
Retrieved a dolly and receiving barrels.
Dumping now mostly plastic bottles,
Along with their myriad of caps,
Carefully segregated--each in its own barrel.
(The CRV, California return value, specially separate!)
Barrels full, up to the weight master,
Contents, each dumped together, by category.

Oh, a cap fell out on the floor!
"Please retrieve that back into my load."
The Weight Master laughed.
"That is only one cap--no weight!"
"Ah", I said, "but with the other hundred,
A measurable amount of weight does accrue!"
On that note the Weight Master
Not only retrieved my single cap,
But grabbed several other orphan caps,
Scattered and remaining on the floor,
And threw them smilingly into my load!

Moral: One vote really does count.
One aborted, polluting, but unnecessary trip does count.
One purchase of an energy efficient device does count.
One meal with no leftovers thrown away does count.
One cup of water not squandered does count.
One family with a planned size does count.

Yes, even one bottle cap, together with others,
Does count.

Our Honey Bee opus 123

Much of our agricultural system is partially built on a house of cards.
California, for instance, has over 1600 species of native bees,
All species of which are full-time pollinators.
But upon what species do we mostly rely for controlled pollination?
It is the European--yes European--Honey Bee,
Introduced long ago from the European invasion of North America.

For many years (40+), I conducted walking tours on Quail Ridge Reserve,
Now part of the Natural Reserve System of the University of California, Davis.
Whenever I came upon a native Buckeye tree,
I would ask, "Why, with all those large, phallic blossoms,
Are the blossoms' 'products' lethal to our Honey Bee?"
Few could ever correctly answer, but the answer is in its name!
European.
By introducing a non-native species to a new region of the world,
There is always the risk of potential catastrophe.
Some living thing--plant or animal-- will find a 'weakness',
And in the world of evolution, will take advantage for its own survival.
The European Honey Bee has not evolved in North America
To be able to pollinate a California Buckeye with its toxins.
Just as it has now rapidly been barraged with parasites.

It is always dangerous to introduce much of anything
To another region without risk:
Especially a creature introduced, which also lives in a huge community!
Is this phenomenon a warning that a gigantic human population
Is relying absolutely too much on cultures of another gigantic population?
As we watch the 'emergence' of virus, spreading through our hospitals and the world,
We must teach our young to truly understand the principles of evolution,
And that the phenomenon, is ever-guided through natural selection.

In Anticipation of a Partial Solar Eclipse opus 341

The early morning sunlight gently flooded my savannah-surrounded pond.
Many native shrubs, planted three decades ago,
Flaunt their ornamental red clusters of mature berries.
Suddenly a rapidly flying cloud crosses the area, then back again--
Rapid movement of a hundred wings,
Completely coordinating the mass of airborne bodies;
Flashes of light-toned feathers, juxtaposed with soft tan;
The flock reels and twists in difficult gyrations.
Suddenly a meeting of two California natives--bird and plant.
The swarm quickly lands, covering the ornamented shrub,
Quickly devouring the coveted energy-filled fruits.
Then just as quickly, the mass of fluttering wings
Rises up as an elevating cloud and flashes onward.

There will be in an hour or so a much anticipated solar eclipse,
But what just occurred outside my window
Is just as wondrous, manifesting yet another natural phenomenon.
May we all remember that minor 'miracles' appear often right beside us,
And that we must learn to marvel at the huge as well as the miniscule.
In my case here, it was the blending of two native beings--
One, the plant, the Toyon ornamented with nutritious fruits,
And the other, our wonderful, attractive and vivacious, Cedar Waxwing.

California's Newest State Symbol opus 386

Several years ago I proposed and had finally passed as a state symbol,
Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra), the now state perennial native grass
Which was a food staple for native people
And is now used in restoration to outcompete star thistle.
Each plant can stay around quite a while-- 150 years!

Recently California just designated the Pallid Bat as that group's representative.
A most interesting creature consuming insects and scorpions in its diet.
It also consumes cactus (plant) nectar--one of two bats in the world to do so.
The Lesser Long-nosed Bat generally sips cactus nectar
And pollinates with a delicate tongue.
Researchers were surprised to observe the Pallid Bat,
Pollinating by shoving its whole head into the flower!
These bats use echolocation to hunt on the ground
For beetles, crickets, as well as scorpions
The venom of which they are totally immune!
They also found that Pallid Bats transferred
Thirteen times as much pollen as the Lesser Long-nosed Bat.
So the more 'refined' and delicate consumption of the latter species
Was way out done by the less mannered, new discovery--the Pallid Bat.

Making Peace opus 397

There was a Swedish peace group (out of New York City?),
Which used the philosophy of attempting to gather hostile groups,
Find a common life challenge and merge them together to talk.
One such attempt was made at UC Davis in the nineties
To engage the Egyptians and the Israelis in such a situation.
With all the irrigation in California, the top soils were becoming mineralized.
UC Davis was developing plant varieties which would better survive in
such soils.
Egypt and Israel both have mineralized soils from the remains of ancient seas.
I learned that the two groups were attempting to interact.
First two separate rooms, then together but with translators,
Then as their scientists wanted faster communication results,
They just started to talk together--problem solving!
As the barriers were dissolved, field trips were created.
I was honored by receiving this mixed group of scientists,
To host a tour of my polyculture, small 37 acre farm.
To learn what had been accomplished in our nearby university was exciting
And I shall never forget the 'frosting' I added to the conclusion
Of a tremendous breakthrough between two hostile nations.

My Scottish Connection opus 416

After discovering my Scottish origins and connections,
I have worn a kilt (or tartan) for many years.
From my Pennsylvania MacCalums, to the Stewarts, etc,
To 'way back to Kenneth MacAlpin, a first king of Alba.
Before donning my tartan, I was obliged to do some research.
I discovered there were tartans for families and clans
And, additionally, for districts, states, provinces,
Highway patrols (eg California), to celebrate centennials,
As well as generic tartans, worn by anyone with no Scottish connection!
One also has the choice of the historical great kilt,
Or the modern tartan, designed by an Englishman!

The history is massive and totally intriguing (and tragic),
So I will conclude with Tartan Day, commemorating Scots.
In Canada and the United States, the chosen date for Tartan Day is 6 April,
Honoring 6 April 1320, when Robert the Bruce and his nobles
Signed and sent their Declaration of Arbroath to the French (!) Pope,
Asking for the recognition of Scotland as a nation and to be free from England.
Among several documents, Thomas Jefferson used the Scottish Declaration
As a model for the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

During one of my Scottish visits, a young land reform activist remarked to me,
"The wearing of the kilt is a symbol of historical,
Cultural resistance and contemporary cultural regeneration."

Suas Alba! (Alipa) Up Scotland!

Two Canaries to Watch opus 433

I have just finished writing about how our farmers are the world's canaries.
One example in California is the prediction--already seen occurring--
Is that it will be impossible for fruits and nuts to be profitably
produced in that state.
Are they certain? That is the nuts and bolts of California agriculture!
In Yolo County, where I live, funds are slowly being diverted to agave,
A drought-tolerant plant to produce alcohol for Tequila to rival Mexico.
Surely we might come up with something which is a little more 'noble'!
(By the way, because of the drought, California might revert to hydroponics
To be able to continue raising tomatoes!)
With the loss of major crops and the dwindling aquifers,
Will California just revert back to the semi-desert
Which the European pioneers first 'discovered'?

Now jump to the east and Pennsylvania and their potato crop.
Potatoes are a sensitive crop, which in Pennsylvania,
Are confronting higher temperatures and excessive rains,
As well as struggling in 2016 with a newly identified bacterium
For which there is no cure (soft rot).
All these factors will be a challenge to the potato industry
Which produces chips, fries, and many other potato products
For and from the state.

As an aside, Pennsylvania MacIntosh apple trees are being removed
(The days are not cold enough).
These trees may be replaced with peaches
Which (temporarily?) might improve production with the warmer weather.

A footnote from neighboring Michigan: Several northern tribes have decided,
Because of a warm, dry winter, to let the sugar maples rest this coming season.
Will this continue to obtain with all these climatic changes?

Google and research the myriads of agricultural challenges
Occurring around the world -- It is mind-blowing.

Alex Salmond (Former Scottish Prime Minister) opus 442

So many around me are passing on their mortal coil.
This, of course, is because of my age of 83.
I just learned of the passing of Scottish Alex Salmond, 69,
Who fought politically so fervently for Scottish Independence.
I met Alex in San Francisco, while he reached out to California
To increase Scottish trade with the world's 6th largest economic entity.
Alex loved horse racing, so our meeting occurred at a Bay Area race track--
Including kilts, talk of Scottish history, scotch,
And a display of my hand-carved stones.
There, I made a presentation of a small stone carving,
Depicting a knot overlaid by the Scottish thistle.

Days later, Upon Salmond's return to Scotland,
I received a wonderful, much treasured thank you note, from Alex,
Expressing his warm thanks, praising my ancient carving methods.
Alex Salmond will truly be a part of Scotland's continual attempts
To be once again an independent nation-state,
And I am so proud to have known him.

Water, Water Everywhere, but For How Long? opus 448

When I returned to California once again in 1978,
The purpose was quite different in that I was to be a small farmer.
The way I looked at my environment was indeed also quite different.
I already knew that this state had at most very few months of rain
And that agriculture depended mostly on its many aquifers.
These waters had remained eternally deep under the Earth's surface,
Until about the early 1900's when the first deep-water wells invaded below.
I also knew that California had no regulations
On well construction and the numbers thereof.
Thus, it struck me deeply during my first forays into ag land,
Witnessing field after field being watered with a torrent of sprinklers.
My first thoughts went deep down to the unseen aquifers below,
Wondering how long this kingdom of agriculture would survive.

Thankfully, 10 years ago, to most, the invisible
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was passed,
Which started to regulate the amount of water taken out
To match that which comes in.
Lands taken out of agriculture are now harboring
Native species of plant and animal, as well as buffering flooding.
More recently, added to this was the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program,
A support plan for the transition toward a smaller irrigated footprint.

The great question is, of course, are these efforts far too late,
Or will those in charge be able to make definitive decisions--
Or will food demands, economy, and political party mantras
Overwhelm reason and empirical evidence guiding outcomes,
Driving our way of life, as we know it, to simply collapse, unnecessarily?
I have witnessed the loss of historical forests in eastern Turkiye
As well as loss of the water table in now parched lands of India.

A New Country Called California! opus 512

Since I have come to California in 1978,
I have seen two attempts to divide the state
Into two or three separate and independent states.
Now there is a new initiative,
Signature collecting starting 23 January 2025,
That proposes a vote on whether or not California
Should become a free and independent country!
(This has also occurred in the history of this state.)
Perhaps some fear for the possible future of California,
Being part of an ever-more conservative world.
This is, of course, serious business for the state;
But to add a touch of humor to this pending vote,
I am wondering if the new national anthem
Will be officially sung in English or in Spanish?
Might it also mention that this territory is being
Now turned back to its original "European' owners?

Mason Bee vs the European Honeybee opus 559

I have raised many bees in Sweden and Africa and am well aware of their ways.
Honeybees have been used as pollinators in the US since the 1600's.
Today, the bee loss is tremendous--up to 60 to 100%.
Because they are non-native, they are succumbing to pesticides,
Habitat loss, and mite infestations.
Our native pollinators are affected, but holding on so far.
There are 4000 species of US bee pollinators--1600 in California alone.
The Honeybee is a terrible pollinator because
Most of the pollen is deposited in the hive.
Thus they do not pollinate efficiently.
An alternative native bee is successfully being tried--the Mason Bee.
This bee, also called the Blue Orchard Bee, simply belly flops onto a flower,
Then, covered in pollen, it continues, generously pollinating.
The Honeybee lives in large hives, allowing easy transportation for farmers.
Mason Bees live in cavities or tubes--they make no honey,
There is no queen bee nor workers--all females are queens.
Because they build chambers in the tubes--thus the name Mason Bee.
This bee rarely stings and all they need is water and a mud supply!
Of course a constructed tube hive of some sort must also be provided.

A Story of the American Bullfrog opus 618

American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus, used to be Rana sp.)
Were introduced into California in the late 1800's (1896?).
The main thrust was to form a basis for a new food industry!
In addition, thoughts featured the pet industry and recreational purposes.
During the Gold Rush, miners ate up to 80,000 Red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii) a year.
This nearly wiped out that native population of frog,
Thus, the concept for a new food industry in the State.
But hungry miners are not a model to be used for a less hungry general population.
Frog legs were commonly consumed pre-1900 and thousands of pounds
Were even annually harvested and exported throughout the US.
When the demand for frog meat was not realized,
The captive frogs were released into the wild, causing ecological havoc,
By disrupting the delicate balance of California's ecosystems.
Female Bullfrogs lay clutches of up to 20,000 eggs, twice a year.
These frogs consume a wide range of prey, including
Aquatic eggs, insects, fish, birds (including young ducklings) and small mammals,
Some of which are native species, already threatened or endangered.
Bullfrogs are carriers of chytridiomycosis which has devastated amphibians worldwide.
Their presence has led to changes in nutrient cycling and water quality.
Bullfrogs are so adaptable, that it is difficult to manage control.
Just the cost to the State attempting control has been very expensive.
On a positive note, these frogs are now used in research,
Studying developmental biology, physiology, and ecology.
When introducing a non-native species of any kind, one must always be aware
Of the unintended consequences which may result.

(Note: I first looked into this introduced species,
Suspecting that the Calaveras Frog Jumping Contest
May have been the source for this introduction,
But the Contest was just part of the whole phenomenon.)

Do Voters Choose Their Politicians OR Do the Politicians Choose Their Voters? opus 626

The simple thought is that, of course, voters choose their candidates.
In a perfect world, that is what ideally occurs.
But there is a device, disparagingly named Gerrymandering*--
The politicians' manipulation of voting boundaries,
Resulting in the reverse--the politicians' determining their voters.
See what Texas Republicans are now doing
To create five new Representatives in Congress;
And realize the reaction of California--using the same opposing manipulation.
And then multiply another Gerrymandered state, and then another.
We are no longer governing for the good of the people,
But spending all our energy to simply gain power,
With little time to govern wisely for the people.
A tragedy, indeed: A manifestation of insatiable human territorial greed.

(* Gerrymandering was named after Elbridge Gerry (pronounced originally with a hard G),
Massachusetts governor in 1812, who signed a bill, creating a partisan district in the Boston area,
in the shape of a mythical salamander, thus creating the portmanteau 'Gerry-mander'.)

Solitary Confinement opus 648

California prisoners protested to eliminate solitary confinement.
This, for a human, is the worst punishment of all.
As in a family where purposeful isolation is employed,
The punishment results in anger and rebellion.
Humans should not be ignored nor isolated.
It results in nothing good.
Try to compromise, understand, and talk things out.
So many family rifts would be lessened to nothing.
An international example is the Palestinians 
Being robbed of their lands and originally isolated in prison camps--
Now, isolated in an open air prison with limited rights,
Along with warring persecution, all in the name of religious history.
Equal treatment would have lessened the problem to nothing.