When simply breathing
Was dangerous
A time before
The Clean Air Act of 1970
The Environmental Protection Agency
Which gave the Act bite
And enforced its many regulations
I am reminded of that time
When I travel to countries
Which ignore the science
Or have no political will
To preserve the Earth
Which sustains us
I live in a time
When the country which lead the way
Suddenly, dropped the reigns
All too soon in time, I fear
This daily scene of choking air
Will return to a country
Which once funded the science
But now ignores it
Which once exercised the greatest will
But now descends into
Short-sighted self-interest
No greater danger
Have we ever faced
In any time
But this time
We turn away?
How sad
Red Fort nearly lost in the smog
Chandni Chowk
New Delhi, India
Taken during travels, 2017