Goodbye Oleander

Listening from under eucalyptus trees,

travelers tires speed by oily-white-pink oleander leaves.

Dividing north & southbound lanes

well-worn black asphalt, pot-holes, & white fog lines

pave the way.

Ladybird’s vision of beautification, installed

where animals once grazed

Where Maidu, Miwok & Yakut’s children once played…

Split-in half,

galvanized barriers to protect imprisoned leaves

shielding eyes, bright hi-beams.

Diverse creatures’ extinct, now they see

reflective pavement markers in our beams.

Highway 99 moves quickly --

what was once two is now six in some places,

while monoculture farmlands burst at seams…

& Pine and Palm have an in-between…

I hear the travelers thru the eucalyptus trees

in a hurry, passing through our rolling-golden-green

California Central Valley.