Pretend
Pretend you know where your opinions come from
and can defend them without a gun
Pretend it isn’t getting cooler
and that you’ve noticed in those brief moments you move
from one conditioned space to another
Pretend you get your name on the box if you pan the movie or
get the grant if you prove the wrong theory
Pretend the next Ice Age isn’t overdue a thousand years
and the caps are getting smaller
Pretend this isn’t the lowest sunspot activity in recorded history
Pretend that carbon footprint doesn’t equal standard-of-living
Pretend that you care enough to lift a finger or spend a dime
Pretend half your neighbors pretend, too
Pretend you kill the other half today
Pretend you’ve solved the problem
By pretending that in 2021
The world’s daily output of carbon
Will be less than
The day you killed a hundred and fifty million
While I pretend facts mean something