If I don’t watch the news
she says
everything seems ok
maybe it isn’t that bad
she says
maybe the world isn’t burning
but for the reindeer
the world is ending
and for the polar bears
it’s already dead
and they didn’t watch the news
But we don’t live where the reindeer are
and if we shut off the television
and set down our phones
they disappear regardless
and then
everything seems ok
maybe it isn’t that bad
maybe the world isn’t burning
but for everywhere
this summer was the hottest on record
and for everyone
everything seems a little warm
and we can brush it off and say
everything seems ok
maybe it isn’t that bad
but how long can we pretend that
maybe the world isn’t burning