when air is too heavy to breathe
and heat an inescapable surround,
trees begin to scream.
were we to hear these death shrieks,
would we open our mouths agape and join in,
until the earth rang with fiery laments of rage and grief?
more likely shake our heads in momentary sadness,
return to our cool interiors,
watch a documentary about magnificent forests,
perhaps remarking, “oh, what a shame.”
some willfully ignore the sound,
disbelieving that anything deciduous has a voice
or one that counts, as it does not vote or work for them.
most will be unable to hear,
too busy groaning out their own last gasps
as they labor under the the sun’s relentless gaze,
while we privileged few live in the shade.
best start listening now.
when they become silent, that is the end.
our screaming will last for a much shorter time than theirs.
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