Latin

She said: “Why are the Latin names so important?”
I pontificated about colloquial names in other languages
and how Latin allowed everyone on Earth
to agree about what was being referenced.
Environment. Ecology. Saving fading species.

I see the wheels turn inside her head.
The different species of snails and bivalves,
where they come from, why they are.
Then I begin labeling spice cabinet jars
in Latin. I can’t explain.

[RK, 4/4/21]


Sea Change

after the hurricanes I wonder
where the butterflies shelter
how mosquitoes survive
why the birds are happy

the osprey nest, untouched, each
beach rearranged yet recognizable
the give and take between us
undergoes daily sea changes

[RK, 4/4/21]


Species

a refuge of egrets, wood storks,
spoonbills, hundreds of coots,
pairs of blue-winged teals,
yet the opportunistic grackle
stalks the dusty parking lot
seeks the dropped crumb
and puts their finery to shame

[RK, 4/4/21]