Monday, July 17, 2023

China Smoke. (Dedicated to Lisa Friedman.)

 


In smoky shadows of the east, a dragon wakes, it's feast,
China's industry churns on, unchecked, nature the least.
Smokestacks tower high, belching clouds that never cease,
The sky an open canvas, for its dark and deadly piece.

A ballet of stark emission, where clean air should prevail,
Coal and steel, relentless, paint a sombre, ashen veil.
Factories work tirelessly, in pursuit of growth's Holy Grail,
Sacrificing earth's green garment, as we watch, turning pale.

But let's not point just eastward, blame's a mirror in our hand,
For the problem's not just China, it's a global, burning brand.
Our own consumption feeds the flames, across every land,
We demand, they supply, this truth we must understand.

Yes, China's footprint's weighty, their course dire and unjust,
Yet we all share a role, in this breaking of earth's crust.
A dance of shared destruction, in consumption we trust,
Where in this blame game, ponder, who holds the greatest thrust?

So let's not scapegoat nations, but to ourselves be true,
It's our collective actions, that turn the sky from blue.
With each choice to consume more, our blame too does accrue,
In this tragedy of the commons, we all play a part, we do.

A challenge vast and urgent, in unity we must engage,
To turn the tide on climate change, is our shared heritage.
China, yes, must curb its course, this modern industrial age,
But the blame is ours together, written on the same page.

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