Barbara Crooker: For My Grandchildren

For My Grandchildren

I am so sorry. We tried, but the wrong people
were elected. We tried, but no matter how much
we recycled, the mountains of plastic grew. As did
the gyre in the North Atlantic. And then there were
microplastics in all our food. We put solar panels
on our roof, your grandfather and I, but did it make
any difference? We noticed how hot summers
were getting, but was there any urgency?
Now fire has been granted a season of its own,
along with hurricanes. Add in tornados
and earthquakes, and no part of the country is safe.
I’m sorry. The polar bears are going, along with the bees.
We failed to convince Big Ag to give up its addiction
to glyphosate and monoculture farming, oceans
of golden grain with nary a weed in sight.
No milkweed for monarchs; how we miss
their stained-glass wings. And fireflies,
whose tiny green sequins decorated summer
nights. The moon, unobscured by hazardous
air, took center stage in the star-spangled sky.
We sat on the porch swing in the fragrant dark
scented by roses and lilies, knowing we were
about to lose everything, but powerless to stop it.

~~~~

A Congregation of Grackles

It is the season of no return, winter not done
with us, spring yet to arrive. Scruffy lawns
turn a little greener; daylight preens, spreads
its feathers. Grackles fan their wings,
clatter and clack in the maple trees,
making a racket that passes for song.
Startled, they pour out of the woods,
a long black scarf unwinding
in the cold west wind.
Their raucous talk, a thousand fingernails
scratching on glass or a chalkboard,
shreds the air. Black cross stitches,
embroidering the blue bunting sky,
they are the X, the unknown quantity
in every equation. They mark the spot
where we cross the equinox,
the resurrection of the woods,
moving from darkness
into the light.

~~~~

Copyright 2026 Barbara Crooker. “A Congregation of Grackles” is from Radiance (Word Press, 2005)

Barbara Crooker (born 1945) is a highly prolific and award-winning American poet known for her lyrical exploration of nature, family, art, and the human condition. Based in Pennsylvania for over 40 years, she has published over 1,200 poems in more than 700 journals and anthologies.