I see them in the evening
echolocate after gnats
as they dart and dive for micro-prey
our night sky is alive with bats.
They clear away mosquitoes
never seeming to alight
and make it safer here below
these tireless workers of the night
I am fearful for their future
as we use our toxic sprays
for as we spray mosquitoes
we poison those who call them prey
Still the acrobatics thrill me
in their nightly hunt for gnats
and I hope for many years to come
our nights will be alive with bats
Cori MacNaughton
(July/Aug?) 1999
I wrote this while living in Largo, Florida, where we had a lot more wildlife than is typical in a heavily populated urban setting - including LOTS of bats!
I have always loved watching them in the evening and early morning hours, so I was pleased when we moved to Tennessee to discover that we have even more bats here. ;-)
I have read this poem in public on numerous occasions but this is the first time it appears in print.
