Match

He strikes the match
and for that one
explosive moment
the entire world
is in danger.
If he drops that match
in the right place
at the right time
he could ignite the apocalypse
via the veins of oil
we've been fighting for
all these years.
What better way to learn
how interconnected we all are
than to feel
the blood of the earth
ignite beneath our feet --
to realize it's always been there,
the cause of
all our suffering,
and the cure
to all our differences.
In one wide-eyed moment
we'd share terror and peace
as the world explodes
from a single match.
Instead he brings the match
to the cigarette between his lips.
He inhales the flame,
lets it fill his chest,
and exhales it as a vapor
that kills the world
much more slowly.