Peopleution

“More stars up in the heavens than there are
Grains of sand upon every beach on Earth.”

I heard that once and I’ve never forgot
An image in my head, a permanent spot
I tried to comprehend the enormity, the implications
As I watch in dismay the collapse of our nation

It all boils down to an insignificant piece of sand
Adrift in the cosmos surrounded by dark matter
Go out to a beach and hold that tiny granule in your hand
Then contemplate the former before turning to the latter

A grain of sand can get stuck on the underside of shoe
Or can be part of a castle with a moat full of water
That infinitesimal particle is cast adrift carrying you
And I suspect the experiment’s failed and we’re merely cosmic fodder

Could it be that such a dot, call it a speck on the horizon
Has been overtly “overlooked” for an eternity or two
If it hasn’t and we’ve been watched then truly the surprise then
Is why we still exist, after all, our comeuppance is long overdue

It’s not the flora or the fauna or the Earth itself I blame
They existed long before man debauched his only home
And it’s my guess that their duress will abet when man’s aflame
For the rise and fall of man will encompass all not just Rome

What had been a chain of balance succinctly plotted, implemented
Turned to chaos when intervened a biped being bred on ambition
Early on with cunning skill they learned to swindle and then to kill
And then the art of the faux pas was covered with crafty contrition

Evolution, we’ve been taught, is the evolvement of the species
Yet the process would seem to be in a permanent stagnation
For we often consider others of our kind in terms of feces
A malodorous reminder of the shame of generations

Sit down, some afternoon with a good book on world history
And re-trace the violent steps of oft cupidic humanity
It won’t take long to understand that there really is no mystery
People, from the beginning, truly define insanity

Does a wolf or a bear, kill and maim for sake of malice?
Has a sparrow or a cardinal conspired to commit acts of war?
Will a rodent or a dog enslave his brethren in the bowels of his palace?
When examining the Earth’s destruction who but man has done more?

Without man’s presence, that sense of balance and symmetry will return
And the Earth will start to heal from her massive, invasive wounds
Yet, before that day arrives, millions will die and bodies burn
Leaving a planet, on cusp of re-birth, a monumental encasing tomb

Then slowly, oh so slowly, forests will spring up and species rebound
Water’s polluted and once fouled now once again will run pure
The magic and chemistry that was so special will be re-found
For without man and his machines the Earth indeed can now be cured

And so I sit on crowded beach and examine one grain of sand
When a smile makes its way across the chapped lips on my face
That pebble glows and the future is exposed in my right hand
A future filled with many wonders and with beauty sans human race

Are there more stars in space than grains of sand on every beach?
The answer may lie between a visionary fingers reach.