This poem confronts the problems of anthropogenic climate change and other destructive environmental practices that threaten the world’s stability. I hope you enjoy it!

Divided into countries
by the appetites of men,
the Earth as we know it is collapsing
and nothing is being done
to save the only environment
that we have ever known,
the planet that has been designated
to us as our home.

Pollutants in the sky,
filthy plastics in the sea,
heavy metals and pharmaceutical waste
delivered to all of Creation
that is here to be,
feeds frogs with missing limbs,
fish with extra eyes,
people losing testosterone,
and disease spreading like wildfires.

Forests being demolished,
insects being sprayed,
toxic algae growing everywhere,
vertebrates perishing
all night and all day,
the Sixth Mass Extinction
is coming our way;
the after-effects are here to stay.

Rising sea levels,
extreme weather,
tornadoes, hypercanes,
rampant pests,
runaway capitalism,
lost opportunities,
we are forfeiting our species,
and our last chance for reunification,
for prosperity.

In the wake of unshakable despair,
the future seems immovable
as the population’s destiny
appears to be crashing
into poverty’s frightening stare.

Nature’s nurture shall be discipline,
as a river of light becomes dirty water
pumped into human veins.

Gone will be the purity;
only acid rain.
No life will remain the same.

Hope flushed,
degradation’s lust,
generations lost;
Desertification’s encroaching husk…

Stock up on grain,
as the climate changes
and the Sun’s rays intensify.
Watch the sky grow increasingly dry.

Phylum, phloem,
parched rocks,
wars over resources;
the atmosphere’s tension
mounts with dissension
as the knife and sickle
cut into the wealth of the present time,
leaving nickels and dimes
to our descendants,
where our dollars and oil once flowed freely.

Why does the Age of Abundance
have to reach its end?
Is the appetite of man
for food and other commodities
an insatiable oddity?
Is there enough common good
to be spared,
if not shared,
at the dinner table?

We eat everything
according to our habits.
Yes, desperation plays a huge role
in the ecological situation
of many countries.
Is there a sustainable way to feed
so many empty tummies?

There needs to be an answer
that can satisfy our demand
for resolution,
without launching a violent revolution.
Without resorting to Soylent Green,
mankind must invoke a cultural evolution.

A geologic transformation
is coming whether we like it or not,
like the strike of a meteorite
approaching from afar.
We cannot simply tell 9 billion mouths
to stop eating.

To prey upon our fellow men is self-defeating.

We must understand that change is inevitable,
the end of our era apparently inescapable.
We need to help others as much as we can:

The collective responsibility falls on us,
each and every single person.

Published by Andrew Blitman

Andrew Blitman is a poet and artist who is also the webmaster of this blog. He is the published author of 13 books, including "Birthright 2012: A Voyage into the Heart and Soul of Israel" and the "Wild Writers" Series. He can be reached at this e-mail address: andrew.blitman@gmail.com View all posts by Andrew Blitman