Out of Africa - Sept 25 2023

 

Out of Africa

Sept 25 2023

Even Antarctica.

Every continent

inhabited by Man.

And not just the land.

Because every moment

thousands of freighters

are plowing through the oceans

trailing dense black smoke,

airplanes

with sleek aluminum skins

crossing paths above the clouds.

Like rats, ants, mosquitoes

we are an invasive species

who have made ourselves at home,

out of Africa

to colonize the planet

and fashion it after ourselves.

The apex predator

who believe ourselves exempt from nature,

yet imagine our presence here

perfectly natural.

So just what counts?

When does an invasive species

become native,

and isn't travel what made us, anyway?

The migrating animal

who doesn't so much adapt

as renovate,

altering the landscape

and engineering the planet

like a fickle millionaire

gutting his mansion to studs;

firing the architect

and hiring contractors,

time after time

revising the plans.

Now, plastic chokes the oceans,

great forests

go up in smoke.

And there's nowhere left to go

except underground

mountaintops

the bottom of the sea.

Or Mars.

Escape artists

doing what we've always done,

leaving no place untouched.

The rich, that is,

who have both the means

and outrageous ambition.

At least the ones who aren't too busy

seeking immortality

for their solipsistic selves.

Out of Africa

to the red planet,

the last resort;

an inhospitable place

of blasted rock

and unbreathable air,

named for the god of war.

(From The New Yorker, Oct 2 2023 edition.)

“They’re an invasive species that will destroy the environment if left unchecked.”