The oceans turn to acid

And the corals die

The shellfish larvae dissolve

Into scattered molecules,

The Arctic is warming

And the sea ice melts away

Leaving the briny blue exposed

Sliding out from beneath foot and flipper,

The bugs that once filled the air

Are dying, vanishing, gone

Leaving plants unpollinated

Leaving animals unfed,

The snows less oft come calling

Leaving mountains barren and dry

Now the rivers run to trickles

Run not to the sea but out,

The children of the world are dying

Sparks of life extinguished

The climate roils

The biosphere shatters,

When shall the children of mankind

Step forward to atone

To turn our great power

To a safer world for all?