Poem by Terri Glass
Red, red, red curled almost in a ring,
crimson petals flip up
revealing 6 stamens dangling
from a yellow and freckled center.
Perfection, and the pollinators know
it’s the nectar queen of all wild lilies,
luring hummingbirds to feast in style.
Only a few scattered populations exist
along a narrow stretch of coast
from northern California to southern Oregon,
in swamps, bogs, sandy cliffs and coastal
spruce forests. Sometimes growing alongside
its cousin, the tiger lily.
Invasion of trees and shrubs by fire suppression,
land development for cranberry farming,
or cattle ranches, road construction
snuffing out its habitat.
The western lily is shouting red,
bleeding red, red
translating into rescue me,
I want to live longer in my beauty.
Terri Glass is a poet and writer of the natural world. Her mission has been to use poetry as a means to awaken and transform our culture to preserve the beauty and bounty of planet earth. Come hear her work December 2, 3pm at the Del Norte County Library. You can visit her at www.terriglass.com. Plea for Wildlife Project funded by Upstate California Creative Corp.