Love Poem in a Time of Climate Change (Sonnet I)

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         after Pablo Neruda

O Ertha: my planet, my brine, my shelter,

let me extract your hidden fossil fuels,

let my engines burn in your biosphere,

let me detonate in your cavernous womb.

O let the whaling ship of my skeleton

harpoon your ancient salty flesh,

let the callous chainsaws of my hands

clear your old growth trees for timber.

O let my industry unlock your minerals,

let me fondle your fetish commodities

until we reach the zone of uncertainty.

O Ertha, ravage me with your extreme weather,

infect me with your diseases, if you must,

just let me exceed my take, my love, once more.