We gathered in the well-lit room Poured wine, settled back to chart Our way around the coming doom We all had brought our favored facts: The end of oil, the ocean’s rise Growing deserts and glacier’s cracks We knew the numbers, and the score Had each summed up our carbon feet And all believed that less is more But still we held on tight to hope Trusted in our lifelong luck Even atop this slippery slope So one by one we spoke our dreams The engineer went first and sang Of pure sweet power and new machines Solar films to catch the sun Tiny batteries to hold it safe Green electricity for everyone Then the doctor took her turn Spoke of disease as a defeated thing By all we knew, or soon would learn The farmer dreamed forth a flawless grain Gene-tuned to every different land Yielding great harvest with little rain The city folk then had their say Cars would go, public transit rule Tomorrow for sure, if not today The public man last rose to speak He knew the people would soon awake Force carbon back down from its peak The mood was good, and silence fell It felt to all our work was done More wine? Of course! For all was well. But in the corner an unnoticed man Sat and frowned and shook his head Sighed and finally raised his hand He said, “I’m sorry, but I’m perplexed. Your dreams are lovely, and might come true My question is: What happens next? | When the new defeats the old On that blessed day I still must ask How many of us can the planet hold? Each problem solved means more of us Every No transformed to Yes Every minus that becomes a plus And as our numbers ever grow And good things enter from all sides The wild earth I love, does go The tiger, elephant and the shark Even now live only by our grace We decide who’s on the ark The jungles, swamps, and grassy plains Must all surrender to our use Must take their losses to give us gains Your dreamed-of drugs and good green power Your perfect crops and flawless plans May bring humanity to full flower No one, faced with a child’s need Could turn his back, choose another good That’s human love, not human greed But what must finally come to pass If all your hopes come true, you see Is people numerous as leaves of grass And the way for all to stay alive To give our future peace and calm Is to make the world a human hive So I must ask: what’s for the best? For us, and this only living world Whether we pass, or fail, this test?” A silence fell, no words were said For this riddle asked: Find the balance Between the living and the dead Death is not for life to choose But life unbound means, it seems All life must together lose Despite our minds, our powers vast We can’t escape the simplest truth: Nature’s word will always be the last. |
The Jefferson Journal is JPR's members' magazine featuring articles, columns, and reviews about living in Southern Oregon and Northern California, as well as articles from NPR. The magazine also includes program listings for JPR's network of stations.
