Here Comes the Burn

Global burn

came on suddenly.

Nothing survives the daytime temperatures now.

Outside? That's in the past,

except for 20-minute nighttime allowances

for those who care to see rock and dirt

and feel the sun's oppressive residual heat.

Elders say we once had oceans.

We now have only reclaimed water,

carefully rationed.

All crops?

Greenhouse grown.

All of Earth's biggest trees

have perished.

Only seeds and saplings remain,

stored with the hope that our planet

will weather the burn

and allow life in the open once more.

All animals?

Raised indoors,

Only for food.

Domestic animals

are a distant memory,

legends in children's literature.

Stories and pictures of the old world abound.

Oh! To see a flying animal,

soaring above a lake surrounded by trees!

For now, we survive in our underground pods.

Entertainment is limited.

Technology is forbidden as it would add unwanted heat

and use precious resources.

Still, most don't know any different.

Life carries on for those

who avoided the burn.

*

Written for the following unofficial challenge: