Naturally Confused

Naturally Confused

Polar bears stroll shopping malls
Tropical birds nest in
Winterized garages
Mountain lions shun mountains and
Snow leopards can’t find snow
Except at new Olympic parks
Fending off screeching larks


Trees creep to higher ground
Stalled by rotting roots
Vacationers to the South Seas
Quarantine in Hong Kong

The earth spreads and shrinks;
Attacked by acids corals can’t canter
Unaware their pure white
Transmits the color of death
And the Ilin Island Cloudrunner
The smooth sandfish, the fat catfish
No longer swim the radiant seas
Extinction can’t correct
Instinct’s cold mistakes

And someday a towering tourist will
Drop down and pick up
Some ancient silicon jewel
Wondering why such intelligent robots
Built great and proud cities
Only to let them fall