Fish Emulsion – a poem

by Randall Sinclair

“Fish Emulsion”

Mankind has tried many ways
To rid this planet
Of unwanted species.
Coyote, Puma, Pomo, Coho.
Religion, bullets, treaties, clearcuts.

Now he poisons the Mother Tree.
The She-Oak that feeds us
Without discrimination.
High in carbohydrates,
The Oak has seen many cultures
Through hungry winters.

The Timber Barons
Think that Tanbark
Has become a problem tree,
Shading out their
Coniferous cash crop.
In the same way
The First People of Kashia
Were a problem,
Hindering the expansion
Of the colonials.

The Barons cry:
Remove the Oaks!
Shed more light on the land!
Reduce competition!
Diminish diversity!
Heat up the water
To kill enough fish,
That we might
Bottle the Gualala
For fertilizer
And spray it back
On this even-aged forest,
To make these money trees
Grow faster!