James Madigan, USA
Two weeks into a meatless diet,
I drove along Western Avenue, Chicago,
and noticed a billboard.
“Look at that steak!
Cooked my way, bloody in the center.”
Deborah laughed,
and pointed out it was a sign
encouraging visits
to the Grand Canyon.
Two billion years
of geological history
exposed
by the Colorado River.
Layers of rock: red, pink, brown.
The river will still cut through rock
200,
2,000 years later.
Will we still be there to observe
in wonder?
Millions of cows
belching methane.
Millions of acres of rainforest
cleared for grazing.
Billions of hamburgers sold.
James Madigan is an emerging poet, retired librarian and adjunct faculty at Illinois Institute of Technology, living in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He completed his Master’s degree in public librarianship at Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois. He studied poetry at Carlow College, St. Patrick’s in County Carlow under Derek Coyle, and can be found at various venues reading his poetry in the Chicago area. His poetry is informed by his political activism. He was born in Chicago.