ashes

Photo by Edward Kucherenko on Unsplash

for prompt 7: 22nd century

if it is as they planned, or as the prophets
passed down — the crescendo
of war and climax of starvation
earth body devastation
our animal relatives leaving every
few minutes, one by one…
i will be honest.
i have very little faith in survival.

i don’t touch on what does not belong to me —
i will not say a single profound thing here,
not about the genocides or the wars.

hardly an authority where i’m claimed, either,
the circles i’m allowed into — 
everyone has their own medicine
i will not prescribe what i don’t know

i think community will live on
there is no way that it could ever be undone

all i can say is that i won’t make it that far
and this i am certain of

no child of mine