An IBWO Poem
Poem and cartoon courtesy of Juanita Godfrey, Michael's mother. Thanks to Sally Jo Gibson (who saw an IBWO in her youth near the Singer Tract) for passing this along.
The Ivory-billed Woodpecker
by Michael James Godfrey (1956-2000)
And so is a duck and a loon.
The Ivory Billed Woodpecker once was a bird
But now he is just a cartoon.
The trees were cut down; the forests were cleared
With continuous chopping and sawing.
So now the whole species has no place to go
He remains nothing more than a drawing.
In spite of their anger and rage
The Ivory Billed Woodpecker now is reduced
To a few scribbled lines on a page.
And his message – it never will taper
He always will be here – his song will live on
As long as we have pen and paper
