IMMENSE RIVER On and off Erratic activity Storm cloud convergence Climate's hostility This year's winter rain Shown up full force Descending upon us Impaling pitchforks Landslides, mudslides, Service roads gone concave Car sinks into gaping sinkhole Stormwater comes in a wave Flooded main streets Arrive with merciless wind Staccato rhythm of raindrops The house roof might cave in Leave town for higher ground California's battered—disturbed climate's powers Hot months—Cold months Season of fires—Vicious showers Outflow intense from the immense River from the sky— Continued use of coal and oil Brought this on—some still deny. LEAST LIKELY Canyons have splendid broad-gauge views. Beaches offered the same treasures, too, As had forests where pine trees grew, But see me in the desert? Not likely. Sunny plains are pleasant—Not! Treeless, unbearable, exceedingly hot. Lack of lakes—what that terrain's got. Will I visit the desert again? Not likely. From longest road to highest bluff, Every mile's similar—dry and rough. Death Valley in Nevada—that was enough. My chances of waltzing through desert again? Least likely. BATDAWN What makes this New Mexico sunrise So different From others? The bats Are returning En masse, animated Cloud of leathery wings drift To Carlsbad Caverns' Caves from a long Night's flight Of freedom.
Dee Allen is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California USA, with 7 books and 67 anthology appearances, currently seeking a new publisher.
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