the work to be done
so many things to save
the planet
the Republic
plant life animal life
all lives threatened by a virus
the sun the moon the stars
bear witness to dreams
left simmering on the stove
too long ago to be remembered
but not quite forgotten
in the rushing river of distraction
deflection and insurrection
charred remains of promises
tossed out the back door
where smoke dissipates
along with the intention
to map an escape route
calamity’s spiral
has stretched across millennia
while ever more ingenious tools
render the earth malleable mutable
enabling wars to be waged
by the light of a computer screen
removed from the screams
and the stench
of death
jealousy cruelty greed
an insatiable hunger for power
persist like roaches and rats
their skeletons preserved
in ancient fossils, ancient stories
no matter how fast life spins
or how complex the next invention
no buttons, knobs or dials
open hearts wide enough
to walk us over glass
in the shredded shoes
of a sister or brother
whose mother we’ve never met