Wasted Energy

Wasted Energy Darkness descends like a ribbon unfurling As astronauts in space orbit the churning Earth And observe the lit orb that is the world below. Likened to a planet on fire in sulphurous yellow, Though impressive to see, it is a waste of energy To watch as photons flow at the flick of a switch In the night when people should be sleeping. Light pollution! Conservation is sorely lacking. (The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy is constant; it is neither created nor destroyed but can be converted.) Dams constructed flood lands to create reservoirs; Waterfalls are shut down, and rivers diverted, Destroying land use and animal habitat. Fossil fuel stations and nuclear reactors are built, Which pollute the air and swell waste dump sites With radioactive and other toxic materials. Fields are littered with windmills, solar panels, and mirrors Consuming yield acreage and resources and killing birds To generate electricity so that humans can live comfortably In an electronic, surreal, guiltless, controlled environment.