"What the world needs" / "Endangered Species"

Paint Chip Poetry #8: April 8 & 9, 2025

“What The World Needs”

The world needs more than just love right now.
Our planet―our people, our climate, our animals, our plants―
we need more than empty promises, grandstanding, and posturing.
In this new, tumultuous age of Aquarius, 
we need world leaders to walk outside and be reminded―
to remember what it was like to look up and be surrounded
by California redwoods and Carolina sunflowers.
to drink the sweetest of nectar from a tangerine
and breathe in the darkest scent of forest evergreen.
to hear the rushing gush of water over Niagara Falls
and taste fresh butter made by those who still say "y'all." 
to witness the incredible healing powers of aloe vera
and stare, unblinking, at Antarctica's melting glaciers. 
They will die before they see the full breadth of their wreckage,
and we will still be here, wondering what could have been, 
had they only listened to our message. 

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“Endangered Species”

I fear the day when dappled sunlight becomes an endangered species,
when no tree is left through which the sun can caress its branches.
I fear the day blood oranges and summer squash cease to fill my plate,
when the once-rich soil is arid, and like the Sahara, verdant grass blanches. 
I fear the day when ravens no longer croak or inspire the great poets,
when timber rattlesnakes stop basking and rattling their little hearts out. 
I fear the day when long-held, well-archived parchment fails to keep,
when marigolds lose their vibrancy and the lake no longer holds lake trout. 
I fear the day when human beings lose all touch with their own world,
when concrete covers every inch of grass, every singular patch of dirt. 
I fear the exact moment we realize it's most definitely too late.
I fear that time has come and gone, and with it, every precious resource. 

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Prompts & Paint Chips from April 8 & 9, 2025

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What is Paint Chip Poetry?

While browsing an art supply store recently, I came across a small game box filled with small paint chips and prompts—simple building blocks with which to create infinite poems and colorful sequences.

I’ve always adored poetry but never felt particularly adept at writing it. This year, I’d like to try and get better. With it being National Poetry Month, I thought it would be a fun writing challenge to use this game box as inspiration to write a brand new poem every day for the entire month of April.

The Rules

1. I must choose a prompt and four-to-eight paint chips at random. I get a single opportunity to re-draw a sample if I’m not feeling it, but that’s it. Just one. However, I can redraw if I get a repeat.

2. I must write a poem using the prompt and all of the paint chip words/phrases within the text of the poem. They must be bolded and italicized.

3. I must post the poem each day to Substack & include a photo of the paint chips in every post.

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