This morning it’s no secret:
Spring is here.
Subtle hints are gone, the weather warm
And green presses near
In all its shades.
The birds in every nest
Sing trees of life;
Generation to next, traits and seed-shaped beaks,
Perch to flight
On instinct’s errand.
This morning it’s no secret
Life is here.
A sixth extinction may not tame
Flame and feather, green and rain –
But will you risk it?
Spring has swept over Texas. I sense it from the wood doves and the scent of mountain laurel, koolaid-sweet and honey-wild. In the midst of biology run rampant, I read grim books and odd theories and ask myself – What should we risk for Life? Or perhaps: do we risk Life for our lives?
The idea of mass extinction is nothing new. Humans have understood it through flood, flame, and ice, tales nearly as old as whichever Creation you please. Today it’s a tale told by science. The question is whether the tale is a truth for now, or later.
For two understandings of that question, see Earth Is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction, and What is a ‘Mass Extinction’ and Are We In One Now?. The first views the question as a “network collapse problem” – a single problem cascading into spin-off catastrophes. It says: soon. The second questions whether current extinction rates exceed the “background” extinction rate. It says: now.
Both positions depend on how we understand what data we have about the deep past, in light of our current world. The point of agreement: catastrophes are normal, but human actions affect life on a scale unprecedented by any other species1.
When tomorrow depends on today – when do we act? What should we risk for Life?
1 Except, possibly, plants. But plants have been really well-behaved ever since – unless you want to blame them for the coal.
Skeleton At The Feast 
I have given up fighting this extinction, but in giving up, I feel empowered, rather than trying to hold back the juggernaut, I can see it coming, accept it, in all it’s ugliness.
Today Turkey reports the shooting of an immigrant trying to enter Europe. I saw this coming a few years ago, maybe 10 years ago. There will be pictures of children, all over the world, clinging to fences and being torn apart by bullets. The bullets will be protecting my quality of life. The children will be the lucky ones, they will not have to choose between the guilt of of facing the truth, or the shame of pretending we don’t know, the careful selection of news channel.
I believe they’ll have a better welcome in heaven.
I enjoyed your poem thank you.
The only answer is to focus down on what is around you. Be aware of the consequences of your actions, enjoy life, and save your soul, for your body is truly doomed.
Stephen.
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I can certainly understand giving up on fighting extinction. It’s an idea far to large to fit into human minds. But as you say: focus on what is around you, in front of you. I do believe there’s a future we can move forwards towards. And oddly enough, I find it seems most tangible when I focus on the creatures (human or otherwise) in front of me. Thank you, as always, for your thoughts ;].
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