“…that is removing carbon from the atmosphere by manipulating land ecosystems, by trying to accelerate weathering…” —Dr. David Keith
What if we could pull carbon dioxide from the ozone, bake it in a steel oven & call it diamonds?
What if we crushed up those diamonds & shot diamond dust into space?
Creating a human-made volcanic-like eruption of disco ball flashes to thwart Sun’s beams.
Will that buy us a few more decades of terror? Mass shootings? Bombing other countries?
There’s a scientist who keeps playing tag between universities in Canada & the US.
He’s known to hike & climb & kayak all over this hot marble.
He’s in a race to geoengineer the stratosphere, to own & manipulate weather.
He’s got hotshot ideas to drain university funds.
He’s been interviewed for books and New York Times articles.
He has never been quoted to say,
We’re all liable if nothing fixes this.
What if action & inaction make it all worse?
Will the ghosts of our ancestors come forth & profusely apologize for getting us into this mess?
Will the ghosts of dinosaurs watch in earnest?
Will the jewelry world suffer & die when diamonds are our only hope to cool off a little?
When a scientist sells his share of racing for the answer
to an oil company for millions,
we’re all done for.
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Jennifer McKeen Rodrigues currently lives on the sacred Powhatan land of Fairfax, VA. She is trained as a certified yoga therapist & trauma informed yoga teacher, is a queer & neurodivergent military spouse, & mom. She has been featured in many lovely literary journals & anthologies, & has been nominated for Best of the Net with her photography. Find her on Insta @gmoneyfunklove.
