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Poems and Thoughts by Frank Maurer

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Migration

Climate Change opus 32

Slowly the temperature rises on our home planet.
We argue, deny, affirm; and many of our politicians
Ignore the predictions of 'most all of our scientists.
We foolishly identify ourselves by our stand politically
As to what should be done--if anything--
For our slowly changing--frog in the pot--climate,
Until it is definitely too late to survive comfortably,
Except, perhaps, in the far north and a bit in the distant south?
Our potential 11 billion may be shaved down to 3?

Humans have always migrated to save themselves,
As have many of our fellow species.
Will our mass migration to the poles,
Having our generally aggressive innate behaviour--
So un-Bonobo-like-- be our ultimate undoing?
Please dear people, heed what may be the new pending nomadic century
And, for us, our descendants, and most, its absolute
watery or fiery deleterious outcome!

Entomophagy II opus 39

Oh dear! Why would one wish to ingest bugs?
Besides more humans continually needing protein
And efforts to reduce CO2 and methane,
Insects are a very desirable food source
Which fulfill all of the above.

For instance, on one acre during one year
A cow will produce 192 pounds
And chickens will produce 265 pounds
And 1,500 pounds of soy can be produced
And 7,700 pounds of algae per acre,
While crickets produce 65,000 pounds
And grubs produce 1,000,000 pounds!

Concerning space, cows need 20 square meters,
Pigs, 5; chickens, 4.5,
While crickets as a group require only 1.5 meters squared
And the lowly grubs need a tiny 0.1 square meters!

Insects as a superfood? Let's see.
They have three times more protein than beef,
Two times more iron than spinach,
With all essential amino acids.
Insects have 10% more vitamin B12 than salmon,
And a perfect omega 6:3 ratio!

With such credentials,
How could a challenged human population
Not heed what nature offers and, indeed, demands,
To save us from great hunger and malnutrition
In an ever hostile planet, pressing all
To eventually migrate polar north and some south,
Where temperatures will be more tolerable?

Get over it folks and learn to love
That source which enticed and, when found, delighted our ancestors--
Giving us our present day large brain and canine reduced morphology.

Paul, the South African opus 101

Paul of South Africa, a sensitive, gentle man.
One who became one with the wondrous creatures
Of his continent--the great remnants of former planetary creatures.
Massive herds; an ebb and flow of migration;
Even the intimacy of close encounters with ancient rhinos.

Now married to a North American
And a new interaction with his world.
An expatriate, notified that all who have left the MotherLand,
Must return or lose their citizenship.
Much like Joseph and Mary required to sign into their birthplace,
Even though Mary is with child
And it is with difficulty that she travels.
Or that Paul, linguistically tattooed
With his magical accent,
Defining him to his place of birth,
Is separated from that place
And his very being.
Like the tattooed Jew, ostracized from Austria,
Landless, countryless, Serengeti-less
From his true natal origins.
Conundrum, confusion, anger, angst.
Where is his center, his identification,
His Mother Africa?

Evolution Doesn't Exist! (Dogs must have come from an Omniscient Puff!) opus 147

The origin of dogs was, until recently, not perfectly understood.
Now it is basic knowledge that dogs, with human selection,
Evolved from Eurasian and Asian Gray wolves.
But the history of Native American dogs has a more complex saga.
Dogs probably entered North America from Siberia 4500 years after humans did,
And were isolated for the next 9000 years.
After contact with Europeans, these dogs no longer existed,
Because they were replaced by Eurasian dogs.
The pre-contact dogs showed a unique genetic signature, now gone.
The DNA indicated that their nearest genetic relatives today
Are the Arctic breed dogs such as Malamutes, Greenland dogs,
And Alaskan and Siberian Huskies.

The replacement by Eurasian dogs may have been caused by
Diseases introduced by Europeans, or persecution of native dogs by European colonists.
Also European dogs could have been favored, possibly because of better training.
So, the domestication of American wolves did not really occur,
But rather domesticated dogs came over with the First Peoples from Siberia.
These dogs existed in North America for about 5000 years
And remained until 15th century settlers arrived with their dogs.
The Siberian Huskies and other similar breeds likely came over about 1000 years ago--
Roughly 500 years before European settlers arrived.

When I was in graduate school at Cornell University,
No one was ever really sure just what the origin of our dogs was today.
Wolves, coyotes, foxes, dingoes--just what?
DNA studies have been so helpful with so many knowledge bases
And I am thankful I have lived to be able to see these results!

Our Mother Seas opus 171

CO2 has been spewed into our atmosphere.
Our oceans have benevolently attempted absorption.
By doing so, the great water masses are warming,
But more, the acid levels are ever-rising,
Atmospheric CO2 has been buffered--so far,
However, increasing ocean acid is committing the slow death
Of many of its shelled inhabitants,
With mass movements of its piscine denizens,
Causing starvation of dependent higher trophic levels.

The Olive Saga opus 191

Trees, as with all earthly life require water,
Otherwise desiccation is the slow path to demise.
Trees, as with all earthly life require a comfortable mean temperature,
Otherwise desiccation and the 'bodily' functions eventually cease.
With the climate crisis, death from excessive heat is now obtaining.
More and ever more, birds, fish, mammals,
And of course the human mammal
Are migrating--shifting their earthly coordinates--
Desperately seeking out conditions they once enjoyed.

And now to feature yet another organism in this plight:
Our tree of human symbolic peace--the olive.
Humans and olive trees have coevolved for millenia--
Olives receiving greater care and genetic improvement,
And humans harvesting possibly the finest of oils.
But now, with the terrifying change in the climate earthwide,
Even our precious olive tree is severely suffering.
Olive oil production is reduced everywhere--in Spain by 50 percent.
Look around us dear people, and recognize the pending disaster we face.
By taking a weak response, humans with their fossil fuels
Are basically murdering their fellow earthly inhabitants.
My plea as a biologist is to take individual action
And always take the greater democratic action as well,
By voting in leaders who dare to understand and properly move ahead.

Darian vs Darien / Any Connections? opus 198

I have always admired the name Darian.
When I meet someone named such,
I often ask if they understand its history or its meaning.
My Scottish ancestry, back to MacAlpin,
One of the first kings of that land (843 AD),
Reminds me of the Scottish attempt at a trading company (1697),
To emulate the English Hudson's Bay Trading Company.
Two attempts were made to establish their company
In Darien, now on the border of Panama and Colombia.
The name was Hispanicized from the Tanela River,
Called such by the Cueva people, an indigenous tribe
Destroyed by the conquistadors during the 16th century.
As a result of the hardships of the area, the unfriendly natives,
And mostly the Spanish, who controlled the area,
The whole experiment failed,
Along with the loss of a third of the Scottish GNP.

Today we hear of the migrants from the southern areas,
Walking north and confronting the Darien Gap,
A 66 mile wilderness swamp and forest,
Through which there is no Pacific Highway,
Only trails and purposely left open as a valuable wildlife sanctuary.
Many travellers have died, attempting to cross this challenging territory.
So, history repeats itself with the Darien area,
Blocking the Scottish attempt at colonization
And now the northern-bound migrants.

But what of the name Darian? Used by the English,
And perhaps first used by the Persians (and Iranians),
Meaning 'Upholder of the Good'--also 'Wealthy' and/or 'Kingly',
Continuing, the present name, Darian, is now seldom used,
And those I question, rarely know its derivation.
But from the early Persian times, to 1697,
To today's migrants traversing the challenging Gap,
It has shown itself throughout history with several manifestations.
Also, one must wonder if there is possibly
A more ancient linguistic connection!

A Text to an Old HS Fellow Student opus 204

As always. The lopsided, unjust civilian butchery has commenced.
Things might be different, when Israel is reliant less on
The figmentary illusion of military might and much more
On true, hard, tenacious diplomacy towards peaceful coexistence.
If such had been done, history (and the future?) might be different.
This insanity will continue until it is done.
Israelis are permanently leaving their country, having no trust
In their failing, conservative, 'eye for an eye' government.
I long for a continually desired, enlightened era.
I have waited 50 years, as I am 82.
Ahmen. Frank

Awake, Neanderthal You have migrated to a new time zone opus 255

Our genome is shared with cousins Neanderthal and Denisovan.
Neanderthals migrated out of Africa to the north,
Then splitting into Denisovans moving east.
By going north, the Neanderthal genome mutated to cope with new conditions,
Including viruses and disease challenges in their new environment.
Before the Neanderthal disappeared 40,000 years ago,
They encountered a cousin species,
Homo sapiens--us, also moving out of Africa.
Some of each group took a liking to each other and created a Homo mix!
Neanderthals infected sapiens with some viruses.
Both Neanderthals and Denisovans passed on genes
Which influenced appetite and metabolism,
But they also shared genetic defenses
And genetic variants which affected sleep--
This, because of new varying day and seasonal times in the north.

Proteins in our cells rise and fall in a 24 hour cycle,
Controlling both slumbering times and when one wakes.
It appears that those of us who have inherited a certain array,
Seem to wake up earlier than those who comfortably snooze later.

So much to contemplate when we start to consider
Just exactly from where we come and who we really are!

To Paul, Who Would Understand opus 262

Horses arose in North America,
Increased in size, and migrated westward.
Presently, a 'new' invasion of a present
'Modern', larger form has obtained,
Replenishing the space of their progenitors

Similarly, the Khoisan arose in Southern Africa
And were partially replaced,
Not only by the Bantu group,
But by the invading 'caucasian',
Repopulating many spaces
Of their original African progenitors.

What Would Jesus Do? opus 274

"A group of any ilk of people, reclaim 'their' land
From many eons in the past":
Humans are genetically territorial,
So why would one not expect
Some reaction from such an invasion?--
Conflict between 'historical reclamation'
vs 'present inhabitation'?

Which brings up an interesting question:
Did the 'invading'--migrating--Homo sapiens
Rape the Neanderthal or simply,
Now and then, fall in love?
Even today, various Caucasians and Blacks
And Asians are enchanted with 'something different'.

(It is common scientific DNA knowledge that Europeans
and groups from the Northern Hemisphere incorporate
Neanderthal and Denisovan genes, resulting from the
'new wave', northward migration of Homo sapiens.)

The Tipping Point opus 284

To date, almost 26,000 dead, 60,000 plus wounded--
When does self defence become murder?
(South Africa is now asking in the World Court.)
A terrible conundrum for Israel.
A country--now nation?--created by depopulation of others,
And now, as always, is surrounded by hatred--
A delayed disruption by 2000 years.

Our own William Penn 'invaded' the now Pennsylvania area,
Through peaceful, bargained discussion
And not, as occurred elsewhere, with violent encounter.
Would Israel's present situation have been altered,
If their 'invasion' had been more similar
To the former 'invasion' of Penn?

My Haplogroup G on the Y Chromosome opus 293

DNA family ancestry became popular in the '80's and '90's.
I was very intrigued and sent in my saliva sample
To the 'pioneer' National Geographic laboratory, now gone,
Which yielded to '23 and Me' and other commercial groups.
My mother's X results showed my European and Scottish/Viking side,
While my father's Y yielded an exciting, unexpected history.
Instead of depicting a European story,
My Y chromosome showed a haplogroup G,
Found in the Turkiye, Armenia, Iraq, and Iran area--
The Fertile Crescent, origin of agriculture from 9 thousand years ago!
The haplogroup G was basically rare in Europe which demonstrated
That the practice of agriculture was not spread through warfare and plundering,
But rather through more gentle, cultural exchange.
Having applied to be a Pacifist, Non-combatant in 1966,
I was pleased that my biological background
Led me to a farming existence in Davis, California, my now home.
My maternal grandfather and Bill, his son, were also farmers.
It just took me 40 years to recapitulate my genetic beginnings!

What Are We Governing? opus 308

Sadly, it has now come to the point,
Where one governor, out of spite, busses immigrants
Arriving to his (and it is 'his') state, to a fellow governor's state
With no discussion, warning, nor planning together.
Political differences of old, have now mutated to plain dislike
And this dislike is making us numb with inaction--so far!
This inaction is exasperating the ever-increasing and required action
To, together, quell the greater crisis of planetary temperature increase,
Looming on the horizon of our children's lives, throughout the entire nation.
Can we not, please, work together?

The New Palestinian Nation--A Proposal opus 309

Is it a good idea--wise--to create a new Palestinian Nation,
Divided between two territories--Gaza and the West Bank?
I am suggesting that the two areas be combined to one,
Total acreage would be the same, but a question--
To which general area would the combined Nation be established?
My thought, without profound research, is possibly that
The West Bank area should be 'transferred' to Gaza
So that Palestine would border Egypt, having a substantial seacoast.
This would cause a great uprooting of the established Israeli population,
But Israel did cause the centuries-old uprooting of the Palestinian people in '48.
This would establish a strong nation, having a connection with the world.
One way or another, this potential challenge could be faced.
So much was formerly taken from the Palestians
And if the Jews could have carved out a new Israel-Nation,
The Palestinians might be given the equivalent for THEIR new nation.

Green-dyed Food! opus 315

To dye food green in America is fun, but for an Irish person,
If heesh knows hiser history, it can be a shocking experience.
During the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, about one million Irish
Died in the span of six years, having no food.
These people were so deprived of food, they resorted to eating grass,
Which colored their mouths green as they died!
Thus an Irish person first confronting green-dyed food in the 'New World',
Is jolted into a recollection of the harsh reality of Irish history.

Another Irish nonhistorical fact is corned beef, consumed on St. Patrick's Day.
The Irish valued a cow for milk, not for meat,
So meat for such a person meant not beef, but pork!
When the English conquered Ireland, corned beef was added to the cuisine,
But it was not until the Irish arrived in America
That they learned to love corned beef, picked up
From their Jewish neighbors in the New York City melting pot!

The Irish Stand for the Palestinians opus 318

The Irish people were conquered by England and were under its control.
This was finally remediated and Ireland is now a free nation-state.
When Israel was first formed in 1948 under the direction
Of the Palestinian area foreign secretary,
The brutal Arthur James Balfour,
Who also was chief secretary of Ireland before its freedom.
It was Balfour in 1917 who proposed a national home
In Palestine for the Jewish people.
Ronald Storres, governor of Jerusalem (1917-1926),
Wrote that if enough Jewish people moved to Palestine,
It could "form for England a 'little loyal Jewish Ulster'
In a sea of potentially hostile Arabism."
When the English settled in Northern Ireland,
It became known as the 'plantation of Ulster'.

Ireland sided with the new Israel
With all its challenges as a fellow underdog.
Of course Northern Ireland remained
As a constant reminder of English hegemony.
Israel began to secure more territory
And displaced more indigenous Palestinians.
Slowly, the Irish national sympathy shifted more
Towards the Palestinian dilemma and cause.
Today Ireland laments the horror of the 7 October Gaza attack,
But also questions the 'revenge' of the Israeli counter attacks.
Of the 5.3 million Irish citizens, there are only 2,700 Muslims,
But because of the similar history of conquest,
Irish sympathies towards the Palestinian plight
Is, at present, steadfast.

Indeed, the Irish do wish all those in Israel and Palestine
'That there's always hope and may your miracle
Come soon, as it did for us.'

Permafrost opus 338

Rising temperatures on our planet are no longer debatable.
Permafrost--weak frozen soil structure--is no longer 'perma'.
Northern villages built on this soil-type are sinking.
Visitors' faces were once seen through a window,
But now a viewer through that window sees knees!
Roads are undrivable, comprised now of soft mud.
Graves in cemeteries are submerged under mud and water.
Inhabitants are steadily being forced to move.
This is yet another subtle manifestation of the Climate Crisis,
Which is creating ever-more individual Eco-nomads.
Now, permanent melting is added to the Crisis list comprising
Heat, desiccation, fire, violent storms, forced animal migrations,
And impossible agricultural conditions.

Butterfly Massacre opus 400

I reside in the Central Valley of California.
I have lived on my smallish (37 acre) farm since 1978--46 years!
At my age one contemplates one's death more than when a teenager.
Being a biologist, I also think about the death of other creatures.
Chatting with my wonderful farm helper,
I asked him why all the butterflies were moving en masse,
Being pulverized (as he also drove) by the speeding autos?
He wasn't sure, but finally, together, we came up with 'migration'.
Yes, many species of lepidoptera migrate besides Monarchs.
The predominant shifting species at present is the lovely Sulphur--
Moving to new local feeding grounds to ensure more future caterpillars!
The beautiful yellow (Sulphur), black-tipped flyers
Move across the more open roads for easier flight
And are sadly meeting their own holocaust.
We think of the roadkill of larger creatures: deer, rabbits, raccoons,
But insects such as butterflies and Honey Bees
Are slaughtered every year--
The butterflies as they migrate
And the foraging Honey Bees,
Innocently traversing from their human-made hives.
1925 was the beginning of road ecology science
And we humans, because of our vehicles,
Have invested millions in the prevention of creature annihilation--
Tunnels, wildlife bridges, speed limits, warning signs--
But the Class Insecta individuals remain ever in peril.

Another Twisted Bit of History opus 413

One side claims that Kamala Harris is now the 'Border Czar',
'No progress has been made and the 'Czar' has failed.'
Actually she was sent, not to fix the problem at the border,
But to look into and remedy the problem originating from the source--
Just why so many are streaming to our border.
She followed through, partially remedying some 'source difficulties',
With a resulting measurable decline in the displaced numbers!
For any problem, one must inspect the origin of a phenomenon
And not always attempt a remedial bandaging
Far from the source of the flowing spring.

Hear Me Dear People opus 414

If one from a certain much metamorphosed party
Gains the upper hand,
It will not be only the 12 million who will be deported,
But also those who oppose his regime.
Beware of the pending danger.
Voting, if it survives, may be our only salvation.
    (Anonymous)

Norumbega ('Belonging to Norway') -- The Site of Vinland? opus 426

My father (and mother) loved to go fishing,
So he took us all (mother, John, Susan, and me),
To the Charles River (named after Charles I in 1614--
Charles was only a prince then, but explorer, John Smith
Had expectations for the lad--who later lost his head--
And then came the wicked Cromwell and thereafter,
The exiled , enlightened son, Charles II.)
(This is why the new British king is Charles III!)
Lots of history where I grew up--
I shall attempt to control my being an historiaphile!

At any rate, we often fished near a 40 foot fieldstone tower,
Built (1889) to pay homage to the supposed Vinland--
A Viking fort and settlement (1000 AD) started by Leif Erikson.
As children (and once as a returning adult) we, now I,
Often climbed the spiral staircase.
The Tower still quietly stands surrounded by comforting trees.
The fishing usually produced a sunfish or bluegill--occasionally a catfish.
Our family also enjoyed, at other times,
Norumbega Park's amusements across the river.

Later, in High School (Newtonville), I took classical double bass lessons
At the Newton Music School in one of the eleven 'Newtons'.
Our 'final exam' was the School's public outreach,
Performing Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16.
This was my first public performance with a large audience
And it was played in the very famous Totem Pole Ballroom at the Park.
(The Park itself survived from 1897 to 1963--the Ballroom, from 1930 to 1963.)

This Ballroom was to come twice again in my life,
When my first love Seta Derhohannesian, a senior,
Invited me to the Newton High prom,
Followed by Susan White, who accompanied me for my second senior prom.

Years later, for my 50th High School reunion, I returned to the Park,
But now (2008), I stayed in the Radisson Hotel now on the beloved Park's site.
The hotel's position was near the two bear cages I remember from childhood.
That year, while there, I looked up Seta and spent some lovely
innocent time with her.
We talked birds, as she was just starting some serious birdwatching--
I remember, hearing for the first time, in my hometown, Newton,
A Cardinal's vocalization--they have shifted north resulting from the
Climate Crisis!

The Park was a focal point--not planned-- throughout my life.
It was called one of the many 'trolley parks' from the 1890's,
Where many parks were created for business at the end of a trolley line.
This park at that time, and little known to me, had been declared
New England's finest amusement park--including the Totem Pole Ballroom
Which heard the music of Miller and Dorsey echoing through its walls.
I truly have lived a life surrounded by wonderful history,
Which has obviously nurtured my mental ontogeny!

The Canaries We Need to Watch opus 427

Our world farmers are the canaries in the coal mine.
Already we are noting that many are moving to more favorable climes,
Or, if impossible, leaving food production altogether,
Or, if possible, forsaking their traditional crops
And experimenting with 'new' xeric plant producers,
Or transporting themselves with their crops to more northerly climes,
To maintain themselves until the ever-increasing temperature
Forces them to a further unknown way of life.

Columbus Was a Jew? opus 443

After more than two decades of research,
Scientists have confirmed that Christopher Columbus
Was a Sephardic Jew from (Spain?) Western Europe.
(Sephardic is derived from Sefarad, meaning 'Spain' in Hebrew.)

Oh dear, I hear it coming now from both sides--
Of course the expressed pride of the Jewish people,
That such an important historical person was 'one of them',
And conversely, that it had to be a Jew,
Who caused the opening of the New World,
With its consequential destruction
Of those two continents' native peoples.

Just wait and see--perhaps everyone will leave 'it' alone for once!

No comment!  F.

My Outer Body--A Petri Dish for Cancer opus 465

When I was young, eight decades ago,
Parents simply sent their children out in the sun--
No prep, no concerns, no worries of future consequences.
Most likely today, I suffer from the sun's delayed anger--
Freezing with liquid nitrogen, multiple biopsies,
And surgeries therefrom;
Slow healings being observed to monitor progress,
Combined with concerns of what was next.
Such is much of my last tier of life.

As a result of this torment of lighter skin--
An evolutionary result of necessary vitamin D,
Homo sapiens having migrated, darker skinned, out of Africa--
The trade off was between darker skin and needed vitamin D.

Today, in a park or on the street, meeting blond, hatless children,
I gently remind their parents of the great need for a hat and sunscreen,
So these innocent ones do not go through my plight.
To emphasize the point, I remove my hat, lean over,
And display the bald spot on my crown, formed from serious surgery.
I replace my hat, state I do such because I care for them
And move on under our life-giving sun to my next episode.

Those Illegals! opus 505

Are most illegal immigrants crooks and drug dealers?
Los Angeles is now an inferno--already 10,000 structures lost.
Sadly, six with more to come, have lost their homes and lives.
One homeowner, it is reported, remained to attempt to save his home.
He also battled for hours to stop a neighbor's burning home
From spreading to destroy his own.
Exhausted after several hours, he lay down in his house to rest.
Upon returning, he discovered a band of Guatemalan illegals,
Bucketing, in a line, water from a neighbor's pool to stop the fire!
He was overwhelmed and asked them why were they doing this?
This was not their neighborhood, nor did they know anyone.
They simply replied, 'our parents taught us to always do good
And this catastrophe is beyond and above us all for personal safety.'

The Buffleheads' Return opus 522

Such a simple source of joy--
After six years--a return to my pond
Of the elegant but small black and white
Diving duck, arriving momentarily on its
Southward migration from the Arctic north.
This perky, white-crowned creature of flight
Of course, could do nothing else
But create joy in the eye of the beholder.

Three Choices opus 540

Friendly and gentle Canada is now undergoing a tariff blitz
From its huge neighbor to the south.
I do not completely understand all the implications of this,
But I do feel empathy for a country that might have become my home.
It was 1966, during the, now as seen, unjust Vietnam War.
I was studying for my Ph.D. at Cornell University.
Unrest and antipathy against the war prevailed.
I was the leader of the 'Young Friends', a Quaker Students group.
I read and studied profusely everything printed about the war.
I profoundly felt that I was not able to kill another human being.
I applied and succeeded to be classified as a Conscientious Objector.
Oh, what if my draft number, about 370, had been drawn--
What would I have done to maintain my life's dignity?
As I saw it, I had three choices for a major decision in life.
One, I would drive a military ambulance as a non-combatant;
Two, I would go to prison as a non-cooperator;
Three, I would flee to Canada, becoming a refugee.
Time passed by as I attempted to continue my biological studies.
The war ended and my draft number was never drawn.
Fate shifted once again, nullifying my chances of becoming
A citizen of our reasonable, 'sweet', Acer saccharum nation to the north.

The White-crowned Sparrow--A Biannual Reminder in my Calendar (Dedicated to Melissa) opus 561

In my life of 83 years, I have always remarked about Spring and Autumn.
Tucked into that is another Spring-Fall phenomenon
And that is the annual movements of the White-crowned Sparrow.
For 47 years, I have lived with this wonderful bird in California,
Witnessing its East-West seasonal shifts, in and out of the Valley.
Today, we are still in April, and the marvelous companionship
With this species will be ending--it will make its return to the hills.
I must now wait until October to listen for
Its wondrous, teasing, raspy 'zwee-zwee-zwee' vocalization.
With its October return, its call will hit me from the ear to the heart.
I coexist and breathe the same juxtaposed air with my companion,
The White-crowned Sparrow.

Mass Deportation and the Cost to Society opus 598

Mass deportation is being attempted, but there is a new (?) recognition
That farm workers, as well as hotel and restaurant laborers and meat packers are vital.
The decision to spare these 'personnel' goes back and forth.
When one looks at just immigrants, let alone illegal immigrants,
Their economic contributions goes into the trillions of dollars--
To completely remove this group or groups of people, depending on their length of stay,
Would be an absolute economic loss to our economy.
The only way to replace these workers is through the recruitment of more immigrants!
Are our leaders so filled with their deportation goals
That they are paying no attention to the effects of their efforts on the economy?
Also the cost for increased law enforcement and for deportation camps,
Could total 80% of all of the federal law enforcement budget.
What could save all this is a year-round 'farm worker visa'.
This would prevent the negative consequences and future illegal immigration.
Why was this relatively simple solution not implemented long ago?

Grooming May Be the Undoing of Vampire Bats opus 606

Vampire Bats drink blood of course, but they also spread rabies.
A campaign was launched to eradicate these bats
Near areas where cattle abounded and were affected.
Utilizing the knowledge that Vampires groom themselves and each other,
Poisons were used to smear on the hair of captured bats,
Which would return to their colonies to groom and spread the poisons.
Killing the bats was working, except for the fact
That as the colony declined, the remaining bats dispersed,
Spreading the rabies elsewhere. Not good.
Then a vaccine for rabies was substituted
Thus, not affecting the bats, except to inoculate them to be rabies-free.
It was not the taste of the 'potion', but rather the intense behavior
Of the bats to get rid of this terrible stuff off their backs and pass it on!

Summer Splashes of Red opus 621

It is July and the White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows
Have long departed.
The feeders are empty and quiet after a winter's bustling.
Suddenly, there appeared a beautiful House Sparrow pair--
Sparrow-brown, but the male with splashes of red
On chest, neck, and crown of the head.
How joyous that little dinosaurs of another ilk
Have come to feed and amuse my eyes with their dancing!

Katrina Devastates New Orleans opus 637

Katrina--20 years ago today. (29 August 2005).
A storm avenging a city built below seabed.
A city surrounded by inferior levees.
People receiving inadequate warnings.
And many others who would have no way to retreat.
The transport, rescuing people, but refusing their pets.
Water rising so fast, even a rooftop was inadequate. 
Corpses bound to poles to prevent their washing away.
Many dispersing to neighboring states,
Where soon thereafter were once again struck by Hugo's deluge!
How can we live? Where might we go?
Is our manner of living actually the very cause
Of our ultimate downfall?

Sulphur Butterfly Migration opus 641

Well, it's that time. Small yellow butterflies massacred on the roads.
Here, west of Davis, they seem to be migrating southwest.
It is not only the Monarch that migrates (north and south)--
Other species including the aforementioned Yellow Sulphurs do the same,
Although their migration pattern is much more local.
Dispersal of species assures new feeding grounds,
New opportunities to mate, and more favorable 
Overwintering of adults, larvae, or eggs.

Just think of the massive human migrations--
New territory, new hunting, new interaction with potential mates.
All life is quite similar in its quest for survival.
New territory depicts new opportunities.
Will we really inhabit the moon or mars?
To some, seems foolish, but there are always those dreamers.

Usurpation of a Family Name opus 643

There was a family immigrating to the US,
Many decades ago, when Ellis Island was in vogue.
They were sitting on the hard-wooden benches,
Listening for their surname to be called out,
But which seemed never to be announced.
Suddenly a name commenced to be called--
Repeatedly.
No one responded. The seconds dragged on.
The father of the family rose and claimed that name.
Procedures evolved and the family 
Had a new name and a new nation.
Was this right or wrong?
What happened to the family who may have belatedly arrived,
Finding only that they were disqualified--
Sending them back to their nascent nation?
Were they escaping hardship or persecution?
History will never let us know.
Presently, the 'borrowing' ('thieving') family
Jokingly relates the story as a family triumph.

In these difficult political days for our country,
Would the harsh, present regime find them out,
Deporting them without a single humanitarian thought?
Again, we may never know, 
But such illegality has occurred throughout our history.

Deportation opus 649

If only the politicians long ago had together worked out a legal system
To allow 'foreign' workers to apply annually
For a work permit which could have led to citizenship.
None of this deportation problem would have ever occurred.
The hatred we see now would have melted
Into a reality where people would have been working side by side
With no illegality nor heartbreak of severed families.

I am heart broken.