Drought in the Michigan Woods
Joggers feet used to pine needles
Scrunch dry, crispy leaves dropped
Prematurely on the path
By trees that couldn’t feed them
Anymore. Seedlings whither, shrink,
Scream silently dying in the dark.
Stunted smallmouth bass dive
Deep for cover from the sun
In the pond growing ever
More shallow. Northern Pike
Give up the ghost and float
White bellies up.
An Eastern Hognose snake
Slithers slowly across the dry,
Scorchingly hot trail in search
Of the pond. It stops, flares its
Neck like a cobra futilely trying to
Frighten intruders. Then it pleads,
“Please let me go. I have to
Get to the water or if you
Wish just stomp on my head
Fast and hard and get the
Inevitable over with.” They
Stand still and watch it go.
Feeling death all around the
Once beautiful trails, they stop again,
Gasp for air and then finish.
The dog dives in the deepest
Place to send the heat flying
And shrink his throbbing,
Swelling brain. A whistle, a wet
Dog, a walk out of the woods,
One jogger spots a snuffed out
Cigarette butt along the side of
The trail. He spews profanity
Up to the drought god sitting,
Like a genie out of the bottle,
Cross-legged on the one
Remaining bough on the top
Of the one remaining red pine
Blowing smoke rings.
Powerful …