no longer
[Part 1 – Items from a zoological survey discovered in a derelict Unesco library]
Darwin’s Frogs no longer leap in the shrinking wetlands of Chile
the Formosan Clouded Leopard no longer hunts in the mountains of Taiwan
the Sri Lankan Spiny Eel no longer swims in the rivers of Sri Lanka
the Eskimo Curlew no longer calls over the snowy grasslands of Greenland
the Santa Cruz Pupfish is extinct to be confirmed
the Western Black Rhinoceros no longer trundles across African plains
the Angel Shark no longer swims in the Black Sea latest data 2023
the Crescent Nail-Tailed Wallaby no longer lopes across the Australian Outback
the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox no longer gorges on figs in the forest of Panay
Pallas’s Cormorant no longer fishes in the polluted rivers or toxic lakes of Russia
the Labrador Duck is extinct dead as a Dodo
the Javan Lapwing no longer flaps its wings in Indonesian skies
the Tahiti Sandpiper no longer plaintively pipes on the river banks of Tahiti
even our house sparrows are in the shit
[Part 2 – Gleanings from Professor Avaritia’s papers found in her desiccated garden shed]
there’s a sapient product of natural selection who
no longer harnesses wind-power or utilises solar energy
no longer holidays in the Bahamas or Thailand
no longer cultivates his own garden
no longer considers the categorical imperative
no longer gets the bullet train to work
no longer measures the rise in average temperature
no longer checks-in at the inter-city-airport Terminal
no longer rushes home to watch the World Cup
no longer develops a military capability second to none
no longer speculates as to whether she is a brain-in-a-vat
no longer does the school run before nine o’clock
no longer views the Holocaust exhibit of discarded shoes
no longer speculates whether the table still exists if there is no one to see it
no longer does the night shift on the maternity ward
no longer prepares ingenious explosive devices
no longer validates cogito ergo sum
no longer orders ‘seed potatoes’ early from a first-rate suppliers in London
no longer tackles the problem of social isolation among the elderly
no longer checks in at the local gym or does press ups before breakfast
no longer sets a moral compass in line with the Golden Rule
no longer scans next year’s seed catalogue for new variety perennials
no longer formulates any messages of reconciliation or peace
no longer takes the dog for a walk in the park
no longer asks if the ‘free-will defence’ is adequate to account for the problem of evil
no longer speculates what it is like to be a bat
no longer puts flowers on the family headstone
[Part 3 – Requiem]
no longer reproduces
no longer eats
no longer drinks
no longer sleeps
no longer laughs
no longer cries
no longer questions
no longer loves
no longer hates
no longer creates
no longer dreams
no longer breathes
Note: It is frightening but true: Our planet is now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals — the sixth wave of extinctions in the past half-billion years. We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day [1]. It could be a scary future indeed, with as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century.
1. Centre For Biological Diversity
All Things Creative 
Curlew made the start and they kept going then.
I’m from the North East of England (I mention this because your ‘about me’ mentions Red Kites and they are abundant where my sister lives), am now in Ireland, for some reason it is the birds which break my heart the most. I wish my tears and all of our tears would make a clean salt Marsh for some species to inhabit.
Incredible poem about an unfathomable moment, deep gratitude to you for writing and sharing it.
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*made the tears start! Sorry, writing through their blur!
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Yes Anna – I live in the NE and have helped with monitoring our redkites.
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I doubt I will ever again hear the phrase “no longer” without thinking of your poem, Eric.
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interesting. extinction? why ((no longer)?
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‘No Longer’ is the title.
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It is now published by Dark Mountain magazine.
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Good to know, I will look for that publication. This was a powerful poem to read.
The sister was in Rowlands Gill BTW,now in Sunniside. Thank you for being one of the people who minded the Red Kites that we saw and heard.
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