Summer 2

I walked and the creatures came to see me.

The rabbit stopped to say hello and a brown bird.

With a sharp black beak and orange fleck on his cheek.

A striped chipmunk scurried under my feet.

They looked into my eyes.

Save us, they said. 

We know you love us.

Bird after bird perched near me.

Please, they said. We know our time is up.

     
What a burden.

What am I to do?
What can I do?

I am dumbstruck at all that is wrong--how to fix it--

Yet I don't want to let on that.

I've lost hope.

I cannot lose hope.
Too many are counting.

And then I had a dream.
And then I saw a field of bright colors.
And then the people emerged from the tunnel.

On bicycles.

Waiting for me.
Waiting for you.