Two Species Revived
The Channel Islands were once the promised land
For cat-sized foxes, small aristocrats
Who lived unchallenged in this habitat.
No creature made of them the smallest demand.
The birds and beasts all seemed to understand.
To each came easy prey and they grew fat.
From DDT bald eagles were laid flat.
Since bald and golden eagles do not blend
The goldens, free of fear, could now expand.
They ate the foxes, snatching from the sky.
Soon near extinct, the foxes could not thrive
Which caused a call for people’s helping hands
To restore what once there was, at least to try
A plan to help two species stay alive.
Louise Kantro, retired English teacher and cat-lover, plays bridge and volunteers as a CASA (court-appointed advocate for foster children). After receiving her MFA in 2003, she has published or won prizes for dozens of stories, both fiction and nonfiction, and hundreds of poems in such journals as South Loop Review, the new renaissance, Chariton Review, Quercus Review, and Homestead Review. She loves having heart-to-hearts and laughing with women friends.
The Channel Islands were once the promised land
For cat-sized foxes, small aristocrats
Who lived unchallenged in this habitat.
No creature made of them the smallest demand.
The birds and beasts all seemed to understand.
To each came easy prey and they grew fat.
From DDT bald eagles were laid flat.
Since bald and golden eagles do not blend
The goldens, free of fear, could now expand.
They ate the foxes, snatching from the sky.
Soon near extinct, the foxes could not thrive
Which caused a call for people’s helping hands
To restore what once there was, at least to try
A plan to help two species stay alive.
Louise Kantro, retired English teacher and cat-lover, plays bridge and volunteers as a CASA (court-appointed advocate for foster children). After receiving her MFA in 2003, she has published or won prizes for dozens of stories, both fiction and nonfiction, and hundreds of poems in such journals as South Loop Review, the new renaissance, Chariton Review, Quercus Review, and Homestead Review. She loves having heart-to-hearts and laughing with women friends.