even without the additives
even the most submissive
will wake up
smelling the gas
on the pathway
where extinction looms
yet the valley remains
still
cold
lonely
& when will universities become unapologetic
when will middle ground
be seen for what it is
death
nonetheless
leaving a burned-off poison
on our collective tongue
garbling our speech in so many words
the money follows the accomplices
we'd be fools to think otherwise
--- e b bortz