David Rice

Fixer-Upper

a raven hides
the rest of the gull chick
in the ice plant cliff
we're the predators who prey
on our own children's future

But if we could accept that our earth-disruptive desires aren’t obligatory . . .

first rains green the hills
a flock lands and feeds
our makeover
of the earth
doesn't have to be permanent

And if we could watch the campfire, pulsating red-orange as the wood gives up its centuries for our warmth, and see it as a gift . . .

a returning swallow
perches
on a chartreuse-mossed oak
this could be my home
if I widened my gaze

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About the Author

David Rice was the editor of the Tanka Society of America’s triannual journal, Ribbons, from 2012 to 2019. His latest book, Tanka Quartets (2020), is a responsive tanka collection written with Autumn Noelle Hall.