Angele Toomey Poetry

This poem is a critique of human hubris and our ability to fool ourselves into thinking we are at the top of the pyramid (spoiler alert: there is no pyramid, we’re just another mammal).

What we could learn, if we listened
I've been told that all the things
that are wrong in the world
can't be helped because
"it's just the law of the jungle".
That it's dog eat dog out there
too little time for too much care.

We are so overly proud of our 
opposable thumbs
we've convinced ourselves
that it's the animals that are dumb.
But it's time we started to listen
to the ecosystem's wisdom.

Have you ever seen a lion
kill more than they need?
Or a herd of wild buffalo
shit where they eat?
What do we waste resources for:
So the rich can profit from war?

Have you seen a shark outsource
the killing of its dinner 
to an underpaid migratory fish
so it can feel like a winner?
We like our food factory farmed
minimal care about who's harmed.

Drinking your coffee is easy when
you're delusional
(the cost of cheap fast
fashion is not beautiful)
Human overconsumption
causes deforestation.