A Long Black Ribbon

A long black ribbon

weighing 16 tons.

For hundreds of years

and still it’s not done

Rolls off the spool

being wondrous and cruel

Bringing life and power to some

bringing cave-ins, carbon,

and the deadly black lung

Without it we would not

be where we are today

with it our country

has gone so far

A wave of progress,

technology, the stars

For some it has become

a reason to fight

But without it we might

still be without light

For with this fuel,

we power the world

Travel the planet

And like a flag un-furled

The uses so many,

the power so strong,

Yet its time it seems,

may soon be gone

It's left the land hollow

And many now yell

That the sky is black

And they want the land back

So we need to decide

Is it good or is it bad

For the ribbon is still rolling

Off the spool of the land

March 3, 2020