Life in the Time of Corona
The Earth Lives On
Ethan McGuire
By day, Ethan McGuire is a healthcare information technology professional. By night, he is a writer, whose writing has been published by The Dark Sire Literary Magazine, Better Than Starbucks Poetry Magazine, Vita Brevis Press, and others. He currently lives in the Florida Panhandle with his wife, dog, and cat.
A star burns hot in the universe.
Ninety-three million miles away,
a lively planet slowly circles:
The Earth, and the Earth lives on.
Men scar the Earth’s complexion, building
ziggurats, pyramids, Babel,
steel skyscrapers, reaching fingers.
The Earth sighs; man’s work crumbles.
Men assemble machines for pleasures.
Men steer machines to kill others,
shooting through the sky, exploding.
The Earth breathes and brings a calm.
Men lift kind populists to power,
and populists aid their people,
but corruption’s rot ever creeps.
The Earth rules to heal the rot.
Authoritarians convince men,
convince people of their power,
erecting bold statues to boast.
The Earth waits; the statues fall.
Populations grow, intermingle.
Viruses put fires to countries;
the fires spread fast through continents.
The Earth brings rain to the flames.
Women birth men; men live, and men die.
Women give birth to men again.
Man is haughty, and he is strong.
The Earth, she spins forever.