Stephen Ground
what a time to be alive
the beginning of the end
despots spew lava
threats of global decimation
our planet their kindling and flame
bombs are dropping
online shopping
likes and pokes and filtered selfies
oil spills in black seas
summer hailstorms
green Decembers
seasons bleed into each other
trash islands float
waterlogged, malignant
it’s coming
Fire
from Earth and Sky
brimstone from forked tongues
of liars and thieves
who lead us forward
to madness and chaos
but a roiling humanity distracts
from threats within and beyond
no one wants to listen
unless it fits inside a Tweet
even then debated by robots
to undermine mankind’s hold
on a planet we misuse
like a young boy’s special sock
***
Stephen Ground’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including STORGY, Typishly, Flumes Literary Journal, and forthcoming from Dark Ink Magazine. He holds a BA in Theatre Studies and a certificate in Community Arts from York University, and currently lives in Milton, Ontario after a seven-year retreat in the prairielands.