sins of man
your instinct is to take and take and take,
leaving nothing whole, nothing pure,
nothing living in your wake.
insatiable consumption, cup over/
flown with a greed so deep
it could empty the seas. I do not know
how there is space in you for more —
never satisfied, never full.
you ask too much of her, she cannot
please you: she has given her trees,
her air, her life to sustain yours.
still, you ask more of her. the wealth
of the world will never be enough.
the world itself will never be enough.
***
the world will never be enough
to fill you. you have no end,
no limit, no control. scorched earth:
you leave no bones, nothing for her
to rebuild, regrow. you leave nothing
for the true deity, life packed full
of material, testament to your neon gods,
your gluttony. you take all,
and then some. endless hunger,
you desire the universe,
don’t you?
consumerism has consumed you, eats you alive.
set the world down and let her breathe,
before you go too far and destroy her.
***
before you go too far and destroy her,
evergreen monster, remember she gave you
life. before the longing sets into your bones,
bloody wine into cloth, and spreads too deep,
staining the fabric of your being. you desire
all you do not control. before you burn
in your jealousy, longing everything
she has — remember proverbs,
remember corinthians. envy is rotten.
think of all you have and remember:
possessions will possess you.
they consume you; destroy her.
temptation of the pure. remember your own,
before your arousal engulfs your mind.
***
before your arousal engulfs your mind
and body, throw it away. lust breeds
danger; lust is bred of temptation.
there is nothing wrong with the act
of masturbation, but it is born of covetousness
for a body that is not yours: fullness, brown
nipples on pale breasts, soft skin, gentle lips,
the curve of her hips, the way her thighs
fold into one another,
heavenly pussy, devil goddess.
your lust has grown too great. she would have
given you everything; you took it anyway. lust breeds danger;
lust is bred of temptation. how does sin feel?
is it comfortable, familiar?
***
are you comfortable, familiar?
your apathy betrays you, like you
betrayed her when you spewed poison
and let it infest her lungs. you watch
as ice melts, as oceans rise, as cities crumble.
you think, someone else can do it.
all sloth, no shame.
on a planet of eight billion,
it becomes easy to shrug off responsibility.
your false deities betray you.
television: golden calf. your false idol
has stolen your bones, melted your muscle,
rendered you weak. malleable of mind.
you simply watch; you refuse to fix what is broken.
***
you refuse to fix what is broken; you simply watch,
too proud to admit the damage your footprint leaves
behind. you hide behind beliefs
and ignore history — ignore evidence — pick
and choose dandelion verses, the ones you don’t like
discarded as weeds. you forget that pride
caused lucifer’s fall from heaven. pride
will cause our fall from existence.
as lucifer turned against his god,
so you turn against man — humanity — mother earth. selfish
angel, you shall be cast from her womb. selfish angel,
she burns at the stake for your sins.
the book you honor forbids pride. selfish angel,
you have forgotten your catechism.
***
you have forgotten your catechism,
are blind to it, clouded. biblical wrath
unfounded, manifested as righteousness
on behalf of your god.
did he ask you to speak for him?
who speaks for her, for the earth?
where is your passion while they char
her body, dig under her flesh?
you are quiet when she burns — but
you preach with the wrath of god,
you preach on stolen land and centuries
of abuse. you must understand that our lives
must be lived in harmony with her; she is dying,
but your instinct is to take and take and take.