It was

not the best of times, nor was it the worst of times,
for those of us still here have not yet outlived it.
Rather, it was the unproven wilderness of the in-
between. Nor could one say, without flinching,
that it was the age of wisdom. There was much
foolishness, and it was the epoch of disbelief. 
It was the season of waning light, the season
of quickly encroaching darkness, of lakes
freezing later and thawing earlier in the year.
It was the time of recent and widespread
extinctions, from whiptail skinks to golden
toads and paddlefish. A recording of the last
Kauai ʻōʻō was made in 1987— haunting
call to its mate that would never come.