(Featured image: Earth as viewed from Saturn, photographed by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft July 19th, 2013)
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Perhaps Mars once did have “life”.
Perhaps there were once dragonflies and porcupines
Elephants and roses
And there had to be humans.
Perhaps they, too, screwed up
And destroyed it all
Through greed and ignorance.
And Mars is still there.
It could never have that beauty again
Never Baudelaire’s raucous jade
Never Mary Oliver’s swan
Never again dolphins leaping
Schubert’s quintet
A sacred mountain
A wild rushing river
A baby crying.
But does the universe care?
I think not.
“Life” does not go on
It is born and it dies
Like a beautiful day.
And there will be other experiments.
But I care
I shout it from the mountaintop
I find this place, this Earth
Beautiful beyond measure
It fills my soul and spills over.
To think of it, this web of Life
Extinguished
Is beyond pain
Beyond understanding
Blasphemy.
Mary de La Valette
Sept 2015
1 Comment
I dont wish to comment on the poetry but rather the underlying fear and sadness.
Growing up I used to think there was life on Mars and there would be life on Venus when earth was done.
According to some of the research texts Ive read (mostly arguments between geologists, i MIGHT be able to find the link idk) is somewhat doubtful there was life on mars. Certainly not out of the question but the extremely low nitrogen in the atmosphere and in the soils indicate an atmosphere too unstable to support life.
We are not headed towards devastation. Some people maintain that the stance as if we are is prohibitory to devistation but the way people are, it just closes their ears.
If progress towards a better planet is one step at a time and progress towards ruination is one step at a time we simply cant afford to jump the gun. Focus on something that is easy for people to get behind with the clearly stated intention that “after this we will take a second step” The image of environmentalists is not good. There is no value in viewing ones image as good either, it is counterproductive. All I know is the future is not going to be like anything you can imagine. Renewable energy makes more sense than anything and the appeal is monetary, self-sustenance and maybe even a visit from the federation of planets (we all gotta dream)