Let us speak for the Voiceless Treefrog,
and not take risks with Gamble’s Flatwing.
Let us stay true to the False Shark Ray,
and not wrong the North Atlantic Right Whale.
Let us look out for the Four-Eyed Turtle.
Let us value the Yellow Goldflake,
and not slight the Neglected Nursery Frog.
Let us guard the Garda Trout,
and not eliminate the Princess Elimia.
Let us find hope for the Lost Shark.
Let us take interest in the Overlooked Squeaker Frog,
and not spurn the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey.
Let us be gentle with the Red-Ruffed Lemur,
and not further depress the Gloomy Tube-Nosed Bat.
Let us deliver the Galápagos Damselfish from distress.
Let us care for the Orphan Salamander,
party with the Social Tuco-Tuco,
laugh with the Funny Rocket Frog,
and sing with the Widenose Guitarfish,
for the Earth belongs to us all.
All the animals in this poem are categorised as Critically Endangered
on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List
of Threatened Species 2024(1).
*
Claire Schlinkert is a British writer, currently living with her family in Belgium. Her poems for children have been published in magazines and ezines including Tyger Tyger, Northern Gravy, Little Thoughts Press, The Toy and The Dirigible Balloon, as well as in a number of anthologies. Some of her poems for children were commended or highly commended in the Yorkmix children’s poetry competitions.
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