declare us endangered
and we will shift resources
from the polar bears and whales
to our own self-preservation

because no other species will rescue humanity
or aide us in our time of need
when global warming destroys the habitat
of all but a few
will it not matter if our kind continues on
content with the delusion
that we can through our automobiles
and cultural practices
unbalance the world

so convinced of our importance
but unwilling to embrace our greatness:
that we are alive
with or without albino grizzly or submarine blubber
or grandma or our children

the lives we lead are singular
links in a chain binding the biosphere
stretching across and through time
but the time we spend here is ours alone
to spend how we please
even if it is waving signs
and ramming boats at sea
trying to save the whales