THE GREAT TURNING

     Our human race now squanders and degrades
     The gifts our bounteous planet freely gives,
     Oblivious of how its splendor fades,
     A threat to every wondrous thing that lives.

     Though the most promising of every kind,
     The pinnacle of evolution’s trek,
     We “Homo sapiens” have yet to find
     The wisdom to avert a global wreck.

     Let’s hope our present adolescent stage
     Will be outgrown and new sagacity
     Evolves to mollify our mad outrage
     So we may learn sustainability—

          Or better yet, that we may learn to nourish
          Attitudes that make our planet flourish.

*