Prairie

by Kirk S.

So much life below the ground:
Plant roots hang like spaghetti from a fork
Small bugs squiggle through, munching plump roots
In underground darkness a squirrel stirs
Silently shadowed by a deadly rattler.
Plump, chocolate brown gophers nuzzle
Beginning a new cycle of life
Soon their den will be busy,
Small fur balls, will roll and tumble
Into adulthood.

So much life above ground:
A hungry coyote sniffs, stalks,
Patiently waits by a hole in the ground.
The sky darkens,
A sudden flash of light
Brings alarm - the sky rumbles
Buffalo scatter like breadcrumbs in the wind.
In the grass, a lark bunting
Clutches a bug, shiny as Corinthian leather
The eternal dance of the food chain and ...
Another prairie day tumbles toward tomorrow.

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Last modified on November 1, 1996.