Taricha torosa
They easily cross a hillside road
in Briones Regional Park
while my boots alternately stick to mud
or slip and slide, challenging
me to keep my footing.
The newts gather in ponds and streams
between rolling hills that fade in fog
as oak leaves glisten
in light rain and bullfrogs sing
their gravelly songs.
When multiple males embrace
a female, a newt ball forms
with legs protruding in all
directions. The lady will later
lay eggs in a rocky crevice.
To protect themselves
from birds and snakes,
newts secrete a neurotoxin
so potent it can kill a human
and puts cyanide to shame.
But newts can’t defend
themselves against cars. I wish
them closed roads
and their own tunnels
and bridges to lead them home.
—
Lucille Lang Day is the award-winning author or editor of 20 books, including four poetry chapbooks and seven full-length collections, most recently Birds of San Pancho and Other Poems of Place (Blue Light). The founder and publisher of Scarlet Tanager Books, she received her B.A. in biological sciences, M.A. in zoology, and Ph.D. in science/mathematics education from UC Berkeley, and her M.A. in English and MFA in creative writing from SF State University. lucillelangday.com
