Endlings

Science Sonnets

The passenger pigeon, Labrador duck,
Tasmanian tiger—all out of luck.
The aurochs, the quagga—end of the road.
The Mexican grizzly, the Golden Toad.
A Pinta Island tortoise by the name
Of Lonesome George whose resignation came
In 2012. In 1932
The heath hen Booming Ben bade us adieu.

The last known members of a breeding line
Are known as “endlings.” In the Grand Design
We’re all impermanent, of course we know
The cosmic mantra: Everything Must Go.
So Polynesian tree snail, toodle-oo.
And Carolina parakeet, you too.

—Henry Rathvon