I Remember When

What happened to all the honey bees That used to swarm all around and abound And would cover the fruit and holly trees Now, you rarely see them buzzing around? Where have the huge flocks of blackbirds gone That I recall who would blacken the sky And bruise your ears with the shrill of their song In the spring and fall as they flew by? What happened to all those water frogs That I recall whose deep rhythmic bellows Would echo back down through the hollow bogs All summer until the leaves turned yellow? What happened to the little horned toads That I would catch for a pet as a boy That crawled all over the fields and dirt roads And made a neat little pet to enjoy? Why doesn't the wolf still split the night And chill my heart with his long lonesome cry As he howls away at the full moon's light Adoring the illuminated sky? Where are all the calls of the bob white And the lonely calls of the whippoorwill That used to pine away all through the night And could be heard in almost every field? Where are the spine chilling panther screams That mimicked some poor damsel in peril And would often conjure up awful dreams Of gruesome creatures wicked and feral? Are they on a premature path into yore Has adequate time been duly assigned For us to say, "There are no more...." Or could it be, I've just outlived my time? Timothy I. Brumley