As a child I heard the news
of population explosion
and saw my growing self
pressed shoulder to shoulder
wedged against static strangers.

We packed tight
the Great Plains of North America,
no place to go, no running,
no room for shade trees,
rose bushes, sheep, bobcats, pet goats.

Now our massive herd is thinning.
Not selective, the void
takes whatever it wants,
reduces me to grief and apnea.