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Judith Roney: Relictual Taxon

June 7, 2020 by PBQ Leave a Comment

In biogeography and paleontology                                    I am an exile
a relict is a population                                                       patina of pinned
or taxon of organisms                                                        landmines
widespread or diverse                                                        scattered rampant
in the past:                                                                         over decades

A relictual population                                                        torn paper
occurs in restricted
areas, whose original range                                               and photos
was far wider
during a previous geologic                                                in a fen of bog-water
epoch:

Similarly, a relictual taxon                                                Who knew
(e.g. species or other lineage)                                            these female organs
is the sole                                                                           would be the last
surviving
representative                                                                    daughter
of a formerly diverse group:                                              of a line of mothers

It persists as a remnant                                                      stubborn
of a once diverse
and widespread population:                                               canny on a gangplank

Relictualism occurs
when widespread habitat or range
changes, and a small area                                                  on an island
is cut off                                                                            apart
from the whole. A subset                                                  as one
population is confined                                                     unleashed mettle
to any hospitable arena, and survives
while the broader population shrinks                                while my people
or evolves divergently:                                                      dwindled

Stranded, or insularized by changes                                  In this coastal
over time, the agent                                                           moor-nest
of change
could be continental drift                                                  sea-water rises
or an ice age.                                                                     (hear the sigh shine)

Filed Under: Issue 100, Poetry, Poetry 100 Tagged With: Judith Roney

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