By Will Falk

there’s water, at least,
on the coast
and that’s where I’m heading

when stopped near
Petaluma, California
a sunburnt sign
hangs over a vineyard
celebrating a family
insurance business’s
longevity

the phrase,
“through the Great Depression,
the Great Recession,
and seven wars”
is typed under
the smiling faces
of men in uniform

maybe it’s my own depression
or personal poverty
that make me ponder
my own longevity

that force me to the ocean
during these times of drought

I don’t know, but
the brown coats of sheep
are sprinkled like dust
on the tree-less voids
they call hill-sides

what once flowed through here
left cattle to settle like pebbles
in the washed-out roadbed

the vultures are thirsty
winos circling the vines
by the time they get there
they’ll find only raisins

the wars I’ve seen
are water wars
and they dry my vision
leaving me to believe
wet is only an illusion

that’s not even blood
flecked on the feathers
of red-winged blackbirds
perched uneasily
on a barbed-wire fence

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Will Falk

Will Falk moved to the West Coast from Milwaukee, WI where he was a public defender. His first passion is poetry and his work is an effort to record the way the land is speaking. He feels the largest and most pressing issue confronting us today is the destruction of natural communities. He received a Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Chapter, 2016 Journalism award. He is currently living in Utah.

Latest posts by Will Falk (see all)

• Time to Escalate? First-Ever Rights of Nature Lawsuit Dismissed - December 7, 2017
• The Rights of Nature and the Power of Law - October 18, 2017
• Why Does the Colorado River Need to Sue For Rights? - September 25, 2017