sins of man

your instinct is to take and take and take,

leaving nothing whole, nothing pure,

nothing living in your wake.

insatiable consumption, cup over/

flown with a greed so deep

it could empty the seas. I do not know

how there is space in you for more —

never satisfied, never full.

you ask too much of her, she cannot

please you: she has given her trees,

her air, her life to sustain yours.

still, you ask more of her. the wealth

of the world will never be enough.

the world itself will never be enough.

***

the world will never be enough

to fill you. you have no end,

no limit, no control. scorched earth:

you leave no bones, nothing for her

to rebuild, regrow. you leave nothing

for the true deity, life packed full

of material, testament to your neon gods,

your gluttony. you take all,

and then some. endless hunger,

you desire the universe,

don’t you?

consumerism has consumed you, eats you alive.

set the world down and let her breathe,

before you go too far and destroy her.

***

before you go too far and destroy her,

evergreen monster, remember she gave you

life. before the longing sets into your bones,

bloody wine into cloth, and spreads too deep,

staining the fabric of your being. you desire

all you do not control. before you burn

in your jealousy, longing everything

she has — remember proverbs,

remember corinthians. envy is rotten.

think of all you have and remember:

possessions will possess you.

they consume you; destroy her.

temptation of the pure. remember your own,

before your arousal engulfs your mind.

***

before your arousal engulfs your mind

and body, throw it away. lust breeds

danger; lust is bred of temptation.

there is nothing wrong with the act

of masturbation, but it is born of covetousness

for a body that is not yours: fullness, brown

nipples on pale breasts, soft skin, gentle lips,

the curve of her hips, the way her thighs

fold into one another,

heavenly pussy, devil goddess.

your lust has grown too great. she would have

given you everything; you took it anyway. lust breeds danger;

lust is bred of temptation. how does sin feel?

is it comfortable, familiar?

***

are you comfortable, familiar?

your apathy betrays you, like you

betrayed her when you spewed poison

and let it infest her lungs. you watch

as ice melts, as oceans rise, as cities crumble.

you think, someone else can do it.

all sloth, no shame.

on a planet of eight billion,

it becomes easy to shrug off responsibility.

your false deities betray you.

television: golden calf. your false idol

has stolen your bones, melted your muscle,

rendered you weak. malleable of mind.

you simply watch; you refuse to fix what is broken.

***

you refuse to fix what is broken; you simply watch,

too proud to admit the damage your footprint leaves

behind. you hide behind beliefs

and ignore history — ignore evidence — pick

and choose dandelion verses, the ones you don’t like

discarded as weeds. you forget that pride

caused lucifer’s fall from heaven. pride

will cause our fall from existence.

as lucifer turned against his god,

so you turn against man — humanity — mother earth. selfish

angel, you shall be cast from her womb. selfish angel,

she burns at the stake for your sins.

the book you honor forbids pride. selfish angel,

you have forgotten your catechism.

***

you have forgotten your catechism,

are blind to it, clouded. biblical wrath

unfounded, manifested as righteousness

on behalf of your god.

did he ask you to speak for him?

who speaks for her, for the earth?

where is your passion while they char

her body, dig under her flesh?

you are quiet when she burns — but

you preach with the wrath of god,

you preach on stolen land and centuries

of abuse. you must understand that our lives

must be lived in harmony with her; she is dying,

but your instinct is to take and take and take.