Light Dark

you say

how do you deal 

with the contrast

of dark to light

how do you

manage in the dark

and I remind you

that when you

turn out the lights

it is hard to see

but when your eyes adjust

you can make your way

and when you go out

into the bright sunshine

you hold up your hand

to block the rays

until your eyes adjust

and you see your way

fear not the light

fear not the dark

for you will adjust

and make your way

(c)2020 Catherine Elder

Is it hot enough for you?

When I was little

people would ask

Is it hot enough for you?

in the summer when it hit

over 80 degrees Fahrenheit

like we’d put in an order

or turned a knob

Is it hot enough for you?

When they started using 

the phrase

Global Warming

people didn’t take it seriously

people said scientist were

being dramatic

and if there was any truth

to it it was a long way off

didn’t affect us

wasn’t our problem

They showed us starving 

polar bears

their ice sheets melting

so they can’t reach

hunting grounds

and everyone thought

that was very sad

but it was a long way off

and didn’t affect us

so it wasn’t our problem

Heat waves crash in

over 160 degree Fahrenheit

in India

Is it hot enough for you?

brown outs

air conditioning accounts for

ten per cent of electrical grid

for now

droughts, then wild fires

mud slides as nothing to hold it back

but it was mostly somewhere else

and didn’t affect us

so we sent some money to people

and it wasn’t our problem

Warm air carries more water

hurricanes become more severe

and come more often

so we say we’ll rebuild

rather than change our ways

Is it hot enough for you?

(c) 2020 - by Catherine Elder