She’ll be right.

How far has that gotten us?

Loads of sprained wrists

and broken limbs.

But when we look at this Earth

after centuries of this careless philosophy

what have we done but broken

Earth Mother, Papatuanuku –

what have we done?

We have torn down and sucked dry

when this planet has done nothing but

provide

guide

and bewilder us.

We have let it come down to

greed

carelessness

and politician’s morals,

valuing money over natural wonders,

killing coral after coral.

It is an irrefutable fact that nature

is performing a disappearing act.

Some people are bright sparks

shining, in this dark future

of floods, erosion, expansion,

evasion of responsibility.

There is a chance that lies with those who can spot

the right from the wrong,

and a chance that we don’t deserve.

Time is the enemy

but we humans have conquered time before.

We have rescued whole species from extinction.

Can we reverse our crimes?

We created this mess, and we can reverse it.

Spiderman fans will know

with great power

comes with great responsibility

We have a choice

of ice cream flavours,

if you will. A flavour

of choking smoke

and animal corpses

or that of clean air, wild berries and a

green future.

Ah

So difficult.

We can succeed. It is possible.

The world can begin to thrive.

It is possible.

We find sharks and a plethora of other animals scary.

There is a phobia

for almost anything hairy.

This pales in comparison to                                                                                                                                                     the danger of air pollution –

some can see no resolution.

The billionaires need to see the scope.

and begin to reel in the rope

of fresh chances.

By 2027 climate change could be irreversible, non-reimbursable.

How do we feel anything

but defeat? There is always bad news

to make the hope bittersweet.

You might remember I mentioned politicians and their morals?

Let them quell their inane quarrels.

and unite to face a problem greater than any individual.

Together, we are quite formidable.

Together we can make a stand, and come out

of a deluded cloud-cuckoo land.

There is only one Earth,

only one chance,

a sense of optimism in the form of activism.

Surely you can lend a hand, save the Earth

from becoming a wasteland?

It will take a lot of effort,

it is a job we all need to undertake

before the damage we have done makes

the world shake.

Whatever you do just please don’t be

one of those people

who think they can get away scot-free.

Papatuanuku, Earth Mother

What have we done?

After centuries of this philosophy

What will we do?