Unexpected Gift -- Update
A horse and mule move through the heat and sun
Along the dry desert sands below the deep blue sky
Waiting and watching nearby on some cacti trees
Sit red-tailed hawks smaller birds and a elf owl
And close by in the heat wait mule deer and bighorn sheep
Willows and cottonwoods begin to appear in the sandy nurseries
For here in the desert — horses and mules enter to dig wells
Dug by earth’s special creatures down to 6 feet deep
Groundwater for wildlife the bounty of nature’s engineers
Ancient times taught the horses, the mules to create the wells
Nature's gift, dear God mankind, we need to allow these creatures to be free
As described in a paper published April 29 in the journal Science, the animals use their hooves to dig more than six feet deep to reach groundwater for themselves, in turn creating oases that serve as a boon to wildlife
Copyright © Linda Milgate | Year Posted 2021
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