The collapse is hard to remember sometimes,
When the birds are tuneful and the sky is blue,
When the breeze is cool and the lizards are sleeping,
When the waves are clear and the plastic pieces
Are invisible in the sand.

In these blissful moments, I don’t want to recall
Fires, scorched koalas and dry riverbeds,
Uprooted trees, swirling dust and hammering hail,
Panicked cattle, drowning dogs and eagles fighting
To fly against the wind.

If trees are felled in faraway forests,
do I have to hear them?
If people are starving across the oceans,
can I pretend I don’t know?
If scientists say it’s all breaking down,
must I believe it?

Yes, no, yes. I know it’s yes.
Now that we see beyond our own little time and space,
It’s impossible to ignore
The bigger picture.

The Bigger Picture was originally published in Resistance Poetry on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.