burning fossil fuels...subtlety at its minimum

even without the additives
even the most submissive
will wake up
smelling the gas

but there is no shortcut

or endless scenario
or grand bargain
on the pathway
where extinction looms
yet the valley remains
still
cold
lonely

when did geoengineering

become anything other
than dark holes from snake oil hucksters
& when will universities become unapologetic
     when will middle ground
     be seen for what it is
          death
          nonetheless

methane shifts & finds the fractures

the casing & tank & human failures
leaving a burned-off poison
on our collective tongue
garbling our speech in so many words
the money follows the accomplices
     we'd be fools to think otherwise

--- e b bortz

(published in opednews.com, June 7, 2014)