WALK #133

Roadkill kills over a million animals per day in the U.S. and can be dangerous for species with small populations, e.g. killing 50% of Florida’s panthers, being the leading killer of England’s badgers, and helping make endangered species out of Australia’s wolf, koala and eastern quoll. Roadkill incidents rose as automobile speed ramped up in the early 20th century. Humans—such a dangerous species. And as I walked the edge of the highway to avoid vineyard paths that have been muddied by this week’s rain, I noticed the scent caused by each passing car because the skunk emitted anew every time its corpse was run over. I inhaled it all to apologize for my species and—because I too can be ruthless—for a future poem’s raw material.

[untitled]

Roadkill--

a poetics

of human encroachment