(Anthropocene: the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.)
We had created the anthropocene
Become oblivious of threats unseen
Things dangerous, we thought, could only be
Products of human ingenuity
We did pay quite a bit of attention
To the devastating power of nuclear weapons
Lofty beings that we considered ourselves to be
We pondered over differences in ideology
When climate change created ripples in our lives
We were still confident in our ability to survive…
**
In our collective self-centeredness, we thought
To the rest of the living world, vulnerable we were not
Humankind was not prepared for the day
When the smallest living particle, lacking its own DNA
Would rule the world, bringing our lives to a standstill
Spreading fear far greater than a tyrant could instil
At first we found it difficult to comprehend
The magnitude of the threat, we were so confident
That an infectious disease in the twenty-first century
Could not disrupt our lives, epidemics were history..
**
We are learning to modify our behavior
To the vagaries of the virus, our current master
We’ve traveled back in time, through many a century
When mortals feared nature unleashing its fury
This virus crept up on us insidiously
Laying bare our dormant vulnerability
**
Yet, we are living in the anthropocene
And while the future remains unseen
With our ingenious minds working in overdrive
We have launched a war in order to survive
Many pestilences we have endured
Many fatal diseases we have cured
Eventual victory we shall claim
But our lives won’t remain the same…
**
When the war is fought and won
To the drawing board we shall need to return
And redesign our lives, cognizant
Of the profound value of our environment.
(Image source: The Roanoke Times)
Passion...unbridled 