Sitting at my desk by the windows
I watch
Large snowflakes falling softly onto the roofs of the neighborhood houses
others landing smoothly onto tree branches
to coat their bark with cool white blankets
Too beautiful of a morning
to once again realize
I can’t always trust humans to have humanity
I hate to admit it
but part of me was surprised when
my teacher shared the news regarding the Willow Project
My mouth opened but nothing came out
We went back to photosynthesis and cellular respiration
and a little more hope fell out of my heart and rolled away
like a forgotten penny, clanging against the floor with a metallic tang
But I mean
He promised, right?
He was supposed to be different!
He was supposed to care!
Our president literally promised
Permitting companies to drill millions of barrels of oil
to release millions of tons of carbon
Completely destroy the only home for human life
I’m so tired
of trying to understand
old white politicians
How they can pat their grandchildren on the head
Kiss their cheeks
Tell them they love them dearly
Planet Detroit and Room Project partnered to curate and publish climate poems from our community. Read the rest of the poems here.