A flood of rhetoric:
Alt-left, alt-right,
Endless discussion
About the morally indefensible;
How long until
We return to the land
Of Normal?
How long till we remember
Civil rational discourse,
Justice, integrity,
Peace?
***
Floods and forest fires,
Displaced populations;
They say the cost of dealing
With climactic events
After they occur
Will topple the world economy.
When will they figure out
Resisting action on climate chage
On economic grounds
Will cost them more?
***
They say switching to clean energy would create millions of jobs. Fighting fires and mopping up floods costs billions. And we havent yet lost a coastline, whole cities, but that is coming. We are a species slow to learn, as we are seeing this week, with civil war and WWII issues resurfacing . The flood of words and argument makes my soul weary, watching history repeat itself on one hand, while failing to see the obvious on the other.
I have to believe this momentum will galvanise civilisation sufficiently to move us through to intelligent action. We live in hope.
For Susan's prompt at Midweek Motif: floods
Salient points, well presented, Sherry. Just yesterday, my little writers' group had a spirited discussion about the Civil War and the Confederate statues. How can it be the old issues rise again????
ReplyDeleteRhetoric flows for sure, and our emotions cannot keep up -- but must step ahead as you say to "galvanise civilisation." I do not think the Land of Normal is quite good enough. We can do better. "I live in hope." Thank you for voicing this.
ReplyDeleteI am so tired of the flood of rhetoric and those who deny what, to me, is undeniable -- climate change.
ReplyDeleteGood thought provoking questions, Sherry. Hard to understand the denial and ignorance,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
alt-left, alt-right. both sides are to blame for the acrimony. How like you, I wish we could all just get along and let people be. Excellent poem.
ReplyDeleteVery well said.I think our biggest challenge is: focusing on solutions instead of problems.
ReplyDeleteDeny everything while making a profit then put the blame on someone else or that they had received poor advice for quick profit is always the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI don't even see the possibility of effective action when large swathes of the world are still dealing with war and survival issues.
ReplyDeleteWell said and sometimes we drown in imaginings which never come to pass.
ReplyDeleteA heartfelt plea
ReplyDelete"How long until
ReplyDeleteWe return to the land
Of Normal?"......Question of the day, Sherry. How long?
Well written. We are slow to learn How long? expresses that desperation. Will we ever learn?
ReplyDeleteOh Sherry this is so incredibly heartfelt.. if only mankind would learn from their mistakes.. sigh..
ReplyDeleteMankind is slow to learn for sure....wise and true words Sherry. Certainly change is coming one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that we are slow to learn.
ReplyDeleteOh my! "And we haven't yet lost a coastline, whole cities, but that is coming." Living in CA on the coast I say, "Help?"
ReplyDeleteWe have been flooded with so much recently, always a different type of flood...it's hard to know what's up and what's down anymore.
I am disgusted with "man" and the way things are being run. People are doing things without thought or what the emotional outcome will be in the future. So many mistakes.
I don't have the answers and forgot the damn question!
We are really slow to learn.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree.
Wanna travel to the "land of normal" too...