NVN Tuesday: ODE TO PROGRESS
by Tim Walker
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Where are the mayflies of years past? Or their descendants for that matter, missed for many a May? But hey, at least our windshield’s free of bug splatter. Are night-blooming plants bereft of pollination by moths confused by light pollution? Praise be to LED lights, so productive, we splurge on ever greater wattage! And how does the little busy bee keep up morale in its collapsing colony? Being a social insect is overrated, vastly, like being a seed-dispersing beasty. The plants will learn to do without them. We’re all tightening our belts. In the long run we’ll concoct “honey” from sorghum and petroleum byproducts, Amen.
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Tim Walker read, for pleasure, the complete novels of Charles Dickens while earning a BA in Environmental Studies, and the complete novels of Anthony Trollope while earning a PhD in Geological Sciences, and has worked as a computer programmer, healthcare data analyst, used book seller, and pet sitter. He lives largely in his own head, while he corporeally resides in Santa Barbara with his son Dana and their cat Cassiopeia. His essays and poems most recently appeared in Harpy Hybrid Review, 3:AM, Fatal Flaw, Rock Salt Journal, and are forthcoming in Sneaker Wave Magazine and TYPO: The International Journal of Prototypes.
I had not thought about mayflies but have been concerned about bees as my apple trees production diminishes; and i have thought and written about light pollution. I’m grateful that it’s dark enough to still see fireflies sign on in the late arriving night, yet sufficiently illumined to feel safe. i enjoyed this poem. Thank you!
All things are connected, of course. If only everyone realized this... You address this so well here, and the video is beautiful, sad, and impactful. Thanks for sharing!