The Sixth Extinction: a lament

to the tiny ones
     Caribbean Monk Seal Nasal Mite
and the nameless ones
     a frog from Sri Lanka
to the sleek-skinned water dwellers
     Yangtze River Dolphin
and the dog-faced winged ones
     soaring in the dusk
     Small Samoan Flying Fox

to the feathered-toed snow-walkers
     Upland Moa
and the bushy-tailed nest-makers
     high up in the hollow eucalyptus
            White-footed Rabbit-rat

to the horrible ones
     Alvord Cutthroat Trout
and the homely ones
    with long nostrils
     Santa Cruz Tube-nosed Fruit-bat
    and teeth askew
     Twisted-toothed Mouse

to the travellers
     Ukrainian Migratory Lamprey
the weavers
     Cascade Funnelweb Spider
the sticky-tongued ant-eaters
     rusty Numbat

to the fantastical
     Ilin Island Cloudrunner
and the magical
     Florida Fairy Shrimp

to the pouched ones
     Tasmanian Wolf
     muzzles gaping wide with their last mournful cries
for all the ones lost
and all the ones to follow