Jaguar Seen In New Mexico

young jaguar in southern new mexico

Introduction

(poems written & performed with children in jaguar costumes, 

dance performance, Santa Fe, 1997)

Too many of us & not enough of them
Spotted cats endangered
from poaching
from our slashing & burning.
Recovery of
bald eagle
whooping crane
habitat protection
is supreme.
Too many of us & not enough of them.
Recovery is supreme.
Recovery of the earth and her ills healed.
Man, woman shrinking,
earth staying the same
blossoming into itself is my dream.
Habitat protection
is supreme
bald eagle
whooping crane —
the spotted cats endangered
because of poaching
slashing & burning.
Too many of us & not enough of them.
But man, woman shrinking our absurd population
earth staying the same
blossoming into itself
is supreme.
Oh glorious spotted cats!
Too many of us & not enough of them.

Jaguar Seen In New Mexico

Spot
eye

creep

pounce

float

feet

cat

sleep

ponder

pool

eye

see

rock

balance

act

taut

step

steep

growl

meow

wonder

weak

way

win

dash

leap

jump

bristle

power

gnash

slash

eat!

spot

eye

creep

bounce

slide

float

walk

seek

out

flash

sun

spot

coat

spotted

flash

sun

coat

gone

here

there

where

spot

creep

pounce

out

gone

where

what

when

why

hey

wow

power

Jag-

uar

what

power

Jag-

uar

beau-

ty

dreams

out

this

hour

beau-

ty

beams

out 

this

hour

Jag-

uar

beau-

ty

streams

out

this

hour

sun

spot

coat

spotted

flash

coat

fur

gone

out

this

hour

beau-

ty

Jag-

uar

Jag-

uar

Jag-

uar

Jag-

uar

teeth

growl

wow

bite!

15Dec97

larry goodell / placitas, new mexico / from  A Jaguar Seen In New Mexico poems 1997

Diana Hadley is doing good work with the Northern Jaguar Project to help protect & encourage
the natural presence of these animals . . . http://www.northernjaguarproject.org/