Consumed | Adrienne Stevenson

And when we have burned up our resources, what then?
Humanity, for all its shining intelligence
seems just barely bright enough
to cauterize its own habitat
scorching Earth

My optimism evaporates faster with each passing day
the seething cauldron of our hubris and greed
boils, then quenches my passion
nearly extinguishes
my spirit

Envision the world after the next hundred years are spent
We won't be here to suffer the damage done
if people still inhabit the planet
in appreciable numbers
they will hunger
and thirst

Turning back the clock is not an option for anyone, anywhere
though our current swindlers would wish it so
beating down, smothering thoughts
corroding all they touch
condemning
us all