Last updated on June 23, 2023
Most likely, you think we hated the elephant,
the golden toad, the thylacine and all variations
of whale harpooned or hacked into extinction.
It must seem like we sought to leave you nothing
but benzene, mercury, the stomachs
of seagulls rippled with jet fuel and plastic.
You probably doubt that we were capable of joy,
but I assure you we were.
We still had the night sky back then,
and like our ancestors, we admired
its illuminated doodles
of scorpion outlines and upside-down ladles.
Absolutely, there were some forests left!
Absolutely, we still had some lakes!
I’m saying, it wasn’t all lead paint and sulfur dioxide.
There were bees back then, and they pollinated
a euphoria of flowers so we might
contemplate the great mysteries and finally ask,
“Hey guys, what’s transcendence?”
And then all the bees were dead.
Copyright © 2017 by Matthew Olzmann.
Originally published in Poem-a-Day on April 14, 2017, by the Academy of American Poets.
About this Poem, by the autor:
“Despite the environmental panic that’s now at the heart of this poem, it began as a simple meditation on shifting landscapes. Each time I go home to visit family, I notice how much more has changed: new roads, new stores, bigger buildings. The poem sought to consider these types of changes which can be subtle and barely noticeable, or—when viewed after a significant period of time has passed—immense and stunning.”
—Matthew Olzmann is the author of Contradictions in the Design (Alice James Books, 2016)
I could not click the like button on this one. I know this is a real possibility, but I hope we learn and prevent this horror, or at least that, eventually, somehow, nature and her bees will prevail.
I know what you mean. It’s scary but it has always been scary. You might be to young, but when I was young there was scifi movie called “Soylent Green” which took place in our time. It was frightening then, yet we are living it. I think we will grow and adapt. As for getting smarter. Well, I have hope sometimes. 🙂
I remember Soylent Green. Scary movie, but in the best way – as a warning. I just looked up the date it came out – 1973, so I might have first seen it at the movie theatre where I worked.
It’s interesting that most of us remember it very well. Some things stay with us.
Painful to read. Sadly feels all too true.
I know, I felt the pain too.
Reblogged this on Me In The Middle and commented:
About this Poem, by the autor:
“Despite the environmental panic that’s now at the heart of this poem, it began as a simple meditation on shifting landscapes. Each time I go home to visit family, I notice how much more has changed: new roads, new stores, bigger buildings. The poem sought to consider these types of changes which can be subtle and barely noticeable, or—when viewed after a significant period of time has passed—immense and stunning.”
—Matthew Olzmann is the author of Contradictions in the Design (Alice James Books, 2016)
Thank you for the reblog. That was very sweet. You made my day.
Humans. The only most intelligent mammal. Hmmmm. About that. Sobering picture for sure. Allan
Sorry
It may not take that long, but I hope our descendants never see it.
You and me both.
Impactful. Thanks for sharing. How miserably we are failing to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren. The captioned photo of “The World in 2070” presumes that humanity will be able to go on creating great human monuments without Mother Nature.
We are failing miserably but so did the generations before us. Perhaps we are doomed to live that way. Knowing but not being able to stop the masses from ignoring?
I feel sad.
Sorry
I know, Sorry.
Makes me sad for my kids
The big, unanswerable question…Why?
As you said, I don’t have an answer.
Sobering words