Dear Mother Earth,
I hope you are okay after
we poured bleach down
your throat and gave
the last few sips
to the Great Barrier Reefs
I hope a mother’s love
can withstand the pain
of Grand Canyon-sized wounds
covered with band-aids trademarked
Made in China
I am sorry the only form
of sustainability we know
is to reduce fossil fuels
reuse green house gases
and recycle pollutants
How many people would cry
if Frosty the Snowman replaced
with the legend of the
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
I am sorry we continue
to blow our excuses
and methane,
and 40 billion tons
of carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere
Get Well Soon
I know your hot flashes
are unbearable, especially
with the 0.6 degree
rise in global temperature
I am sorry Uncle Sam
didn’t give a single damn
about 10.8 million barrels of crude
suffocating Alaska’s beaches and animals
in the Exon Valdez oil spill
Human distress doesn’t address
the price tag of fracking beneath
The Great Lakes,
the largest freshwater system
in the world.
It’s easier to look the other way,
when caught up in the work-life whirlwind.
But no matter how great the United States is,
comfort cannot be salvaged
when the world stops spinning.