From The Earth
A great dark ocean
lies beneath us,
a sea we draw upon
from primal living things,
life's essence we extort
from rock formations
deep down.
It gave new freedom,
opened vistas,
made connections,
gave conveyance far and wide,
so we cannot live,
work, find our food,
recreate without its aid.
Mighty highways
storm the country,
never silent,
never sleeping,
dire contagion round the world
making ways for millions
daily powered,
and with contrails
in the sky
slowly smothering,
as it reigns us
blighting atmosphere,
biosphere, stratosphere,
we live with this
or some other dilemma.