The "I"s of the Hurricane

I owned the land by the oceans and rivers that my ancestors didn’t build on

Because they understood the risks. And land was plentiful elsewhere.

I am the developer who purchased the land to subdivide into lots.

I am the realtor who brokered the sale.

I am the banker who unleashed the money.

I am the insurance company who weighed the odds.

I am the lawyer who presented the plans to the township.
 
I am the council member who voted “yes";
 a builder myself. Or a landscaper. Or a lawyer. 

I am the architect, the builder, and the builder’s work crew. 

I am the buyer who always wanted to live near the water. 

I am the mortgage company that said, sure!

I am the homeowner’s insurance company that also agreed.

I am the citizen

who sees glaciers melting
 
and ice caps receding 

(along with my hairline, my salary, and gums).

I see a monoculture of humans, shoving aside most all other species, overcrowding a fragile lifeboat,

and I change the channel.

I am the mother who would go six shades of ballistic to save my children from a predator,

but who cannot stop dumping poisons into their bodies, into their world, with every mile I drive;

With every empty room I heat or cool;

With every blade of grass I cut with a gasoline mower.

Hundred-year storms are getting bigger, lasting longer, hitting harder.

The climate may be changing
 
but so can I.

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