Dear Disaster Diary,
An Ode to the 4th of July
On this day of freedom and reflection,
We face the shadows of our own creation.
The problems we're facing as a nation right now are structural,
Demanding radical solutions, truths fundamental.
One party delves deeper into a universe,
Of delusion, disinformation, a curse.
Human beings, still hunter-gatherers at heart,
Struggle to foresee, to play the long-term part.
Our brains, wired for immediate threats,
Fail to see the cave collapsing in regrets.
The world unready to slow climate’s pace,
Nor to live with the changes we must face.
Cities warming at twice the global rate,
Air conditioning helps, but fuels the state.
Imagine a power outage, heat wave severe,
A catastrophe that’s ever so near.
Trees, nature's gift, cool and store carbon,
Scrub air, nurture life, and help us harden.
Yet each year, cities lose 36 million strong,
Despite efforts to plant and right the wrong.
Preparing for the last disaster we’ve known,
Leaves us unprepared for the next storm blown.
The lessons from the extreme weather parade,
Show the U.S. unready, foundations decayed.
Electric grids, sewers, forests in need,
Of fortification, revamp, and clear heed.
But there's a limit to how much we can adapt,
If emissions aren’t cut, resilience entraps.
Heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires in extreme,
Make adaptation alone a fading dream.
On this day of freedom, let’s pledge anew,
To face reality, and truth pursue.
For if we’re to honor this land so grand,
We must act now, with a united hand.
Let this be our anthem, a call to unite,
For the future we cherish, for the battles we fight.
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