Adrienne Stevenson
Too Many
we have already tipped, have you noticed yet?
violence escalates through nature, led by us
denial cannot make us unnatural—merely blind
take any population:
a dish of bacteria
a cage of rats
provide food, allow to multiply
observe the crash when food gives out
extrapolate to humanity
solve for how many planets we need
to satisfy endless appetite and growth
divide our population by double that
(we deign to permit other species)
subtract the industrial age
to calculate a stability point
aim for that
if we don’t act, we will be acted upon
our planet will slough us off
like so many dead skin cells
disappearing down the shower drain