January 09, 2025

The old Taoists held 
that all this is--and "this"
is all of it,
the entire cosmos--
the result of "circumstances 
begetting circumstances" 
over time.

The Los Angeles fires are direct
evidence of that principle in action,
in a "you can pay me now,
or you can pay me later," kind of way.

The human impact on the environment 
worldwide (and soon enough, galaxy wide)
cannot be denied as a bill coming due.

And we will be paying that bill for 
generations yet to come.

"Oh, well," is the sad refrain to reaping
what we have planted--
as though we did not know what we were doing,
when we were denying every opportunity to know,
and refusing to consider the "inconvenient truth"
of our actions over centuries
of environmental abuse.

How many species are going extinct daily?
They certainly have no sympathy for our
playing fast and lose with their world.
Nor do I.

Oh, well.