I enter Target
in search of a vase for birthday roses.
I don’t hear the crash
of a 400-square-mile Alaskan glacier
slipping into the sea.
Distracted by thoughts of friends,
to-do lists, and journeys to far-away places,
my fingertips trace yellow curlicues
on an azure-blue vase.
I’m unaware of the remains
of a 30-acre, blue-green sheet of ice
melting in Glacier National Park
where I hiked as a child.
At Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf,
absorbed in latte and Instagram,
I don’t feel the runoff of the
glacier in Antarctica
that flows into the sea.
270 miles of ice,
formed over eons,
wiped out in decades.
I stroll down Lake Avenue
and gaze through windows
at gin and tonic happy hours.
I may no longer be here
when the ocean invades
cities and islands all over the world
and sinks them off the map.
Glaciers retreating
like ice cubes in a glass of water
are not on my mind, or else
I would weep.
--Kitty Kroger
About Kitty Kroger
I taught high school E.S.L. in Los Angeles for quite a few years. Started my life in Kalispell, Montana, then moved to Southern California. In the late 60s I spent four years in West Berlin, where I first became interested in the anti-Vietnam War movement. That was the beginning of a life in progressive and socialist politics. In 2012 I published my novel, "Dancing with Mao and Miguel," which takes place in the 70s and deals with political, social, and personal concerns of that decade. In addition to writing, I'm involved in trying to make the world a better place, tackling issues such as climate change and social justice. I'm a member of the Natural Resources Committee of the League of Women Voters-Pasadena area, and the Democratic Socialists of America. Photography, especially street photography, is one of my hobbies (find my work on kittykroger.smugmug.com and Instagram). I also write poetry and play a little piano. And I publish another blog (kittykroger.wordpress.com). Check it out.
Wandering the Trails of Our Lives 