FOR EARTH: By Amber Tamblyn
For Earth, I have spent my life in an ego’s error,
blundering on the side of a selfish existence
more often than not.
More often than not,
I have waived away the warnings of her aches,
while escaping into the safer daydreams of her clouds.
I have let her down
while taking for granted the exhales of her trees;
easy air for my lucky lungs, so what?
I tell myself.
I tell myself
I’m swamped reveling
in the pride of my own pulse
to feel the sluggish haul
of her disappearing streams,
to watch the slow cracking open
of the arctic’s skull,
to worship the withering breadth
of her slipping ice.
Everything will be just fine, I tell myself,
most of the time.
Most of the time,
I’m too busy, too on deadline,
too Real housewives of New Jersey,
too tired, too angry
too Twitter, too IG
to worry.
I’m too distracted
coining climate hashtags
in lieu of conservation,
too Zoom consumed
with happy hour every hour
to talk accountability,
too whatevs
to honor the dirt beneath
which has honored me.
For Earth,
I have made the most human of excuses.
And for us
she is sending signals in spades,
signs of every kind, messages loud and clear:
Pay attention.
Pay attention or pay the price.
We’re not too busy, too deadline,
too Real Housewives of New Jersey,
too tired, too angry,
too Twitter, too IG
to see.
So see with me.
Our future
our Earth
our time here
depends on it.
