Commentary on the Current and Future State of Mankind

In memory of Kurt Vonnegut: “I really wonder what gives us the right to wreck this poor planet of ours.”

By J.R. Paruolo

I -The Journalist’s Opinion

As he approaches extinction
On a global scale
His attempts at prevention
Are likely to fail.

Having created the events
While ignoring the pollution,
He seems to embrace detriment
Rather than solution.

With the predicted catastrophes
Just decades away,
Can Man save his species?
(Or, has he seen his last days?)

The Optimist will say, “Yes.”
The Pessimist, “No.”
But it’s only a guess
Since neither one knows.

In a point of contention
The Realist assails:
Despite his best intentions
Man will try, but fail.

It will take more than speeches
Or proclamations of law
To stop his toxic leaches
And close the deadly door

Through which he lets pass
His most lethal poisons,
Carcinogens,
And greenhouse gas.

When all is said and done
After much heated debate
Will He speak and act as One?
Or, succumb to a stalemate?

Will he agree on a plan?
Outline a course of action?
Or, sit with his head in his hands
And offer knee jerk reactions?

Whatever the outcome
He’ll still pay the price
So let me offer him some
Good sound advice:

With the future in doubt,
Please be polite -
And the Last one out -
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!


II - The Poets Opinion:

We write in an enigmatic way-
Leaving our readers
To interpret what we say.
We seldom provide answers -

And while our words may lack
The numerical clues
Of math – the symbols we use
Are no less abstract:

But on the subject of Man
And his relation with Nature
We take a clear stand:
He’s an Eco- Terrestrial, Barbaric Waster.

He’s plundered the Earth
And extracted its wealth
He’s taken Mother Nature
For all that she’s worth.

He’s destroyed every flower,
He’s polluted the air,
And now in the hour
Of her deepest despair

He asks for her trust
To make the repairs
To restore all the forests
And clean up the air.

It seems quite ambitious,
Naive at the least,
To think he can accomplish
This Herculean feat

By applying the brakes,
And reversing the gears,
To correct the mistakes
Of the last thousand years.

As the planet’s main tenant
He’s an utter disgrace.
It’s blatantly evident -
Just look what he’s done to the place.


III -The Scientists Opinion:

We are men of Science.
Purveyors of logic -
We have total reliance
In all things scientific –

Our knowledge is great.
We send men into space.
We probe and explore-
And open new doors -

We hold High Degrees
We’re the Crème de la Creme
We consistently succeed
At tying up loose ends.

Whether it’s E=mc2
Or something less obtuse-
We come prepared
And ready to deduce.

Just give us some time to observe -
And ask questions -
To put into words,
Our ideas and convictions

To prepare and then publish
Our findings, conclusions -
Debunk all the rubbish
And dispel the confusion.

Though it’s not our intention
To name any names
We can’t help but mention
There’s someone to blame:

It’s clear from the start -
It is Man who’s defective.
So we’ll take him apart
And rebuild him effective.

We’ll build a la carte
And install new emotions
We’ll hand craft new parts
And cure his compulsions.

We’ll clone every cell
From his head to his feet
We’ll make him excel
He’ll be so complete -

And when it comes time
For his re-introduction -
He’ll come to define
The Epitome of Perfection.

So I think you’ll agree
That Man is the culprit,
A catalyst of calamity -
But don’t worry - we can fix it.


III - The Poet Replies:

You can postulate theories
And explore new frontiers,
Probe the cosmic mysteries
Measure time in light years,

You can clone and replicate -
The entire human race
But whatever new form you choose to create
It will ultimately suffer a similar fate.

For in nature’s equation
The variable’s Man
Who thinks he’s objective
But just can’t understand

That his ultimate Fate
Lies in his own hands
As he tries to negate
Mother Nature’s Grand Plan

And install in its place
Some grandiose scheme
To manage the planet
Like a clock work machine.

So, as you get ready to toss
Einstein’s proverbial dice,
And play God – My advice:
Cover your bets to minimize your loss.


IV - The Moderator’s Closing Comments

I thank all our guests
Their points were well taken
Their views well expressed
Their cases well spoken.

This meeting’s adjourned -
And we end with more questions:
Does Man seem concerned?
Has Man learned his lesson?

Will he object and resist?
Will he put himself on trial?
Will he bare witness?
Or, remain in denial?

Will he deliberate
And reach a verdict?
Or will he procrastinate
And offer no edict?

Will he freely participate -
Or, be held in contempt?
Will he self- exonerate?
Or openly repent?

As to admitting a problem
At best he is split -
And there lies the conundrum -
With the future at risk.


V - Earth’s Epilogue

We live on a pebble
In a bubble of air
We look through our Hubble
But no one’s out there

We listen with SETI
Across the eons
(For God sakes already
Won’t someone respond?)

We’ve still got an eye
On long distance travel
But as hard as we try
We’re just too damn fragile

So we send in our place
Remote controlled bots
That probe deep into space
And take digital shots

Of the cosmic mosaic
And wrinkles in time
And other dimensions
Proposed by Einstein

Century by Century
Our knowledge’s increased
We’ve crafted technology
Beyond our wildest belief

And yet we’re still here,
Stuck on this pebble
And each passing year
Only brings us more trouble:

Floods, famine and WAR -
The world’s heading south
And there’s no back door
Or other way out.

Yes, we’re stuck here, my friend
Till the bubble just bursts-
So be polite to the end
And insist: “No, you go first!”

Epilogue

We live on a pebble
In a bubble of air
We look through our Hubble
But no one’s out there

We listen with SETI
Across the eons
(For God sakes already
Won’t someone respond?)

We’ve still got an eye
On long distance travel
But as hard as we try
We’re just too damn fragile

So we send in our place
Remote controlled bots
That probe deep into space
And take digital shots

Of the cosmic mosaic
And wrinkles in time
And other dimensions
Proposed by Einstein

Century by Century
Our knowledge’s increased
We’ve crafted technology
Beyond our wildest belief

And yet we’re still here
Adrift on this pebble
And each passing year
Only brings us more trouble

And let there be no doubt
The world’s heading south
And there's no back door
Or other way to get out.

Yes we’re stuck here, my friends
Till the bubble bursts
So be polite to the end
And insist: “No, you go first!”

The Woman in the Moon

Finally, through a series of short dreams
Between nine am and noon
On a Saturday morning,
Interrupted by spurts of momentary consciousness,
The drama of our dialogue from long ago
Concludes – you accept my proposal
- I am ecstatic –

Then you leave for France, writing
Of your impulsive departure in French
On the back of an Italian take out menu:
Espoir de retourner bientot.

I return to find the note -
(I had spent the day at a movie theater
Watching a documentary of miracles)

This is how I endure the impossible hours
In your physical absence –

This is what feeds the memory machine,
Part mechanical, part virtual,
That reconstructs you from synaptic parts
And the bilingual notes you leave behind.

This is the energy that switches on the power
Of memory to the point of overload
That detonates the fuse
That pitches my mind
Into total darkness -
Leaving me temporarily blind
Until the stars, one by one, explode
Back into existence –
And then, finally, the sun.

Each time the scenes reappear
In my mind with slightly less clarity.
Over time they will disappear -
The stars will fail to re-ignite,
The Universe as I know it
Will slow and then quit working altogether.

Until then, if you decide to return
Come by way of the intermittent dreams.
They will lead you to the end
Of the last incomplete scene
And the beginning of your next decision:
Espoir de retourner bientot.