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Salt-o-the-Earth
Po-ums and Cartoons | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19... |
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5) MOST SPLENDID CREATURES IN THE UNIVERSE Ohlone tiger beetles are really glorious— Made out of pure green gold— Most respendent creatures in the universe. The main place they survived Was on the UCSC campus. They patrolled the campus trails Back when cattle Grazed the grasslands. Once, if you walked around, You could see them shining back the golden sun Or sparkling with fire in the sunset Or gleaming in the moonlight With the redwoods behind Darkly standing watch. Now you mostly see tiger beetles Only on the edges of campus. They don’t appreciate the traffic on the streets. Soon there may be no more of them. They’re in the company of the burrowing owls And grasshopper sparrows— But their hold on life is far more precarious. Extinction is forever. How many universities have you known With their own particular, endangered animal— Right on their very own campus? You’d think UCSC would be proud and that tiger beetles Could be subjects of research and teaching And that big mention of them would be made In campus plans and that they Wouldn’t be just in the way Of bigger and fancier meetings And coffee. Do you even know of an instance When anyone was ever told To leave tiger beetles alone? Aren’t there enough signs up Saying not to park in a poobah place, And every other kind of sign? If you were the US Fish & Wildlife Service Would you be sure that UCSC Could be trusted to be nice to tiger beetles? |
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