The Abuse of Riches

The desert scorpion curls its ugly tail
and seahorses stare sideways
moving like mannequins,
the delicate sponge flaps its folds,
entreaties the diver to find it
so that its material might be used to cleanse
soft pink skin in baths of gold.

And so, the prophecy is foretold
as creation rhymes and chimes
with supposed intention
blueprinted in a netherworld
by creatures of higher powers
as man struggles forward with the riches
he's blessed with, so many blessings
and no idea what to do with...

His ship sails the world's seas
plundering the deep, the endless schools of fish
hidden in aquamarine depths.

Machines carve the deserts, inserting probes
guided by sonar lasers, aiming to drain
every last drop of oil over a set time scheme.

The builder unfurls the architect's plans
and maps the mountains yet to be conquered
in his mind's eye, and thinks of explosives.

The politician, foreign-focussed, fingers a globe,
strains his looking-glass to question whether
or not to attack that land he desires.

A child pulls a pin on a grenade
in her hands, and tosses the plastic
into an imaginary mineshaft, buried
in the woods, and laughingly counts
down while her friends run away wildly.

The teacher turns to his book, and reminds his class:
"Let us not forget that the author insists
upon the fragility of this planet, and all it's contents."

The pupil turns an eye toward his master,
and flashing a glance, pulls a rabbit from a hat:
"Indeed, Sir, and Man is mightier than any
creature, hence the temptation to pull it apart."