California least tern springs
off the ground, its trampoline
Brown pelican’s elegant plumage—
beak like thin blown glass
wooly sea-blite the goosefoot family’s
necklace of tubes and pearls, fancy
get up by the sea, oh yes, to see!
These species, native born
They don’t tell us what they think of us
but
the small beach animals find shelter in the red sand verbena
humans crowd their mats, disturb their habitat
with not even so much as a sigh
humans won’t feel it if these small ones die
urban interface relentless
a bird in the wetlands glazed in oil that bubbled to the surface
its lungs collapse
bird
falls to an unnecessary death
Bulldozers intrude upon the lagoon dwellers home
The mother will not say please don’t intrude
She will as indigenous
Rise up to reclaim
Her home