I have a bellows inside

behind which an animate pump

pulses to an arcane program

drinking oxygen every 20 seconds

lifelong, running it to each arterial point

direct from our nuclear star,

stepped-down via photosynthetic green;

Ah me, the lovely trees!

transmitters, constant suppliers

as they enable, without a grudge

every lung to brim

every drop of blood to blush

and even then, in the dark of secret night

 those stalwart beauties absorb the junk.

 

So why are the people hypoxic

-not to mention, birds, mink, swine-

dying for lack?

Is a global grief or guilt

suffocating Life itself?

Get off our throats!  indeed,

they cry - seeing only one killer knee

personifying that collective apocalypse.

But the cylinders all run dry

while forests and ancient peats burn.

Combustion engines were all we came up with, are left with, by way of legs.

Must get to the shop, go on holiday

must keep warm/keep cool

and, so the pundits declare “Save jobs”.

Starvation or welfare benefits

being poor options for voters.

Mass protests, bad press for bosses.

 

So we’ll plant more trees, then!

(heard that before….)

Stop draining bogs

and dumping plastic in the seas!

Unborns drenched with micro-particles

and fresh water, organic veg and fish

with dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

and glyphosate.

Put rubbish in the right box, man!

Count air miles more carefully then!

While fleets of refrigerated trucks pump

tonnes of nitrogen oxide

 in streets and supermarket forecourts.

Smoke, eat, drive, um, breathe

 something else.

Dig up the Earth’s remaining treasures

to make more friendly batteries,

cobalt, lithium, nickel notwithstanding;

and not forgetting the value, or danger of

 trade monopolies and reserves.

Convert virgin jungle to cattle ranches

to keep economies flowing

 and thanks to satellite prospecting

mayhap find some gold in the process

 - even feed a few, to boot.

Develop cruises for tourists to gawp

 at melting glaciers, drowning bearcubs;

hobnob with the indigenous, firsthand

for a photo-opportunity price,

on disappearing beaches;

add smart-tech wireless, world-wide

to keep multinationals going (low-profile)

and the populace distracted with

super-fast downloads and zoom access.

Atleast that reduces the need for running about

and goes towards the eugenics of

developing a sedentary species with square eyes, OK with virtual existence

 - barr the tiresome necessity to breathe.

 

Ah, but science will prevail, they say;

Create oxygen from nothing - somehow,

by-pass lungs and hook up to mobile carry-on ECMOs. By the trillion.

What an investment opportunity and

what an ingenious lot we are!