Inevitable Transition and Other Poems

By: Joann Renee Boswell

Inevitable Transition

entwined fates
no planet 
            B
prepare, Pioneer,
eliminate unnecessary
twining polymers conjoined
(all hail convenience!
single-use glory!)
u n t a n g l e   w e b
plastic proliferation
processed, refined
hatched petroleum 
cheaper fiscally
consequences minuscule
viewed through spyglass
turn away, blind
long-term toll 
a s t r o n o m i c a l
but, spoiled, only 
understand tangible
bills, smooth 
and dirty rubbing 
our palms dry, 
oil we produce 
sucked up 
into greenbacks,
so we must seek 
alternative lubrication
natural depleted
devalued, deceased

reluctant know-it-all,
breathe deep, Visionary,
remember humility
humanity just one
part of sacred
Universe, indwelling 
communion of ecology
nullify narcissistic
human-supremacy
Earth incarnation
deep divinity --
all have value.
prioritize sharing
minimize possession
downsize ego
l  i s  t e n
meaningful non-human
speech abounds
pay attention
when science shares --
scientists have souls,
a  f t  e r a  l l.

inevitable transition
plastic-free society
ease gently, Desperado,
resolute empathy
convictions firm
infuse kindness
while enmeshing
customer service,
strangers, friends
colliding care with
c  o m  f o r  t
nonjudgmental 
        nuisance
potluck dishes
lugged, washed,
time consumed
researching soap,
consignment shop,
bike, skip, walk,
think ahead
pack utensils
minimize fingerprint,
glaring sore thumb 
counter-culture loud
even in whispered,
        no straw please.
​

---

Extinction

like watching Notre-Dame burn
collective gasp escapes crowd --
perhaps we’d pay more attention,
if dogs puttered out
before the Spix’s Macaw --
spire collapse and puppies 
cease breath.

but these changes are too slow --
we don’t drop everything and stare,
watching The Great Coral Reef dwindle.
we don’t stand in parking lots weeping
observing cart after cart of plastic
exiting the store, megascreen displaying
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch churning,
groaning with each sack, half-full 
rolling along to conveniently 
single-personed cars, live videos 
from our hands to your feed,
worldwide appall, tears clearing soot,
snot as murky as the sea.

millions aren’t 
gramming and tweeting
favorite memories, 
selfies with Mother Earth
as She turns to cinder --
#rememberearth?

something so profoundly beautiful
destroyed, we toss water 
wring out our souls
dripping emojis of despair
    that universal symbol
        that all-consuming hope
            that ancient inspiration

g    o    n    e    .

so loud and quick,
public display of affliction.
we all took ownership --
    we felt it, built it: 
    fire of grace, Our Lady.

Nature took our spark,
permission to create flames --
steeples licked molten
surrounded by water, helpless
we fear our babies lives.

money pours in
billionaires eager to restore
this One True Beauty
flooded with rich empathy.

I sit silent 
d    i    r    g    e
attend Earth’s slow demise
too steady subtle
for society’s grasp.

wind pulls ivy playful dance
whispers sun-bleached bricks
lush Spring flings life.
these grounds, sanctuary.

witness this beauty as history
my grandchildren will not believe.

---

Gaia

I am not positive
what woke me
                          fully

I’ve been napping a lot
ever since that asteroid
Chicxulub concussed me

maybe greedy carbon
dioxide crowding, choking 

or pesticides and plastics
weeding over my tiny
inhabitants, little voices
absent in my white noise mix

perhaps drilling deep
boring my skull
seeking oily marrow
as if I was not providing
all you need generously

you call me Mother
but I am Womb
if you kill me
you will die

that is not a threat,
Beloved, it is plea--
pollute the placenta
and we won’t survive

I give life, oozing
petrichor through pores
abundance of sustenance
nutrients seeped into every fiber
of your soil, your air, your aura

I speed my benediction:
may the forest be with you
to nurture you with nature
sustain your human rights
to breathe free, live harmoniously
with all that I offer, all that I am

but you spray poison
on my offering before
you consume me

long after you have gone
my unburied corpse
mourned by stars
will continue in stellar procession
until alien explorers attempt
unearthing the mess you made
discover your mortal flaws
resuscitate me

---

Joann Renee Boswell

Joann Renee Boswell is a teacher, mother, photographer, and poet living in Camas, WA, with her spouse and three children. She previously taught and directed high school theatre. She loves rainy days filled with coffee, books, handholding, moody music, and sci-fi shows. She has been published in Untold Volumes, Voices of Eve, Western Friend and Mothers Always Write among others. Her first book of poetry is expected May 2020 through Fernwood Press.