Poems by Ed Taylor
Archives: by Issue | by Author Name
Still Life With Invasive Species
summer, Squaw Island, Niagara River
by Ed Taylor
From Canary Summer 2016
Ed lives in the Buffalo River Watershed, within the Niagara River Watershed.
From a distance the fish littering the gray asphalt river walk look like Canada goose droppings, moist commas.
Resting his belly on the rusted waterside railing a man reels in, sets down his bottle in a paper bag to unhook and flip one over a shoulder without looking. The sand-brown fish twists for a while, then darkens and stops.
“They’re from Europe or somewhere, from ship ballast. Bad news.” He flicks his filtered butt into grass and spits, yawns at the orange of two jump-suited prisoners fifty yards downriver, beside the sewage treatment plant, scything milkweed and scattering the handful of monarchs. He spits again and kicks a faded red plastic cup until it’s through the rails and into the water: “Oops.” Then he jacks his radio because, with the boat wakes slapping and gulls scrapping over fries and someone gunning a Harley in the parking lot behind him, he can’t fucking hear.
© Ed Taylor