Before, they would come,
Searching their way from the sea
For a resting place.

Once, before man came,
The seals could mate without fear
And give birth in peace.

On Mauritius, the dodo is long extinct.

Snow and ice stretching,
Horizon to horizon
In all directions

Whiteness: but impure,
Tainted in random places,
Speckled with crimson.

Flecks of pink crystals
Where snow is stained by blood
Dripping from crushed skulls

On Mauritius,
The dodo is still extinct.

Who is next in line?

	      April, 1977