Disturbed Areas

Scarred, parched empty Earth
sucked dry of oil and water
treeless deserts blowing in the wind
vanished ice sheets, islands, cities
extinct reefs
lifeless oceans, silent skies
depleted everything
apocalypse to come

humans past wandering free
hunting, gathering, plundering
enough to provide
waste not noticed
ever takers, never stewards
wanting more
and more and more
until no more

humans now overflowing
too little food, even less water
too much fighting
greedy and mean
scorched-earth work
unsustainable
biology winning
not collaboration

Cassandras dismissed
three billion more people
in four decades
still less regard
for impending ruin
no integrated efforts
for equilibrated living
within planetary means

nearing no doubt
that irreversible threshold
for human intervention
if not, then
ditch lilies, blood-red poppies
lovely, Mendelian lupines
inheritors of disturbed areas
will resurrect the Earth.