GROUNDSEL

See the San Francisco Groundsel–that’s
My name. Fifty thousand years ago
My t1ny yellow f1owerets shared the plateau
with woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats.

Because their food was meat we all could live
In peace, but the climate warmed, and over the years
The carnivores began to disappear,
While inch by inch my seeds crept fugitive

To claim the nearby peaks, retreating higher
Suiting my alpine temperamental needs.
Up in the world I joined the hardy breeds,
And now at twelve thousand feet I can retire,

Known and protected around the world, unique :
Meekly proud of my epochal pedigree!

(128, October 7, 1993)

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A rare flower in Arizona.

[John Alvord, 1/4/2026]