A poem inspired by a painting of the same name! Feedback appreciated

Slump/Fear (Orange/Black)

We have built our lives on shifting ground

Buzzing mosquitos beneath dripping amber

The grinding of teeth a constant sound

Society dies in an echo chamber

Believing what we wish, we never act

Our impression of three wise monkeys, orange and black

Rather than face uncertainty

We worship a mirage

We believe in the best possible currently

Unprepared for the barrage

A sickly Pangloss, stabbed in the back

Dies while sputtering, orange and black

If islands can form from magma

As if summoned by Charles Lyell

Perhaps the spewing of more lava

Will instill panic for a while

Realizing all that we lack

Slumped over in fear, orange and black

Only with Hell’s fury and brimstone

Outstretched skin flayed

With dagger’s iced touch to the bone

Will we fall to our knees to pray

Words immortalized but layered deep in stacks

From only the wisest of seers, orange and black

Belief that our heroic acts will always succeed

In saving our lives and China

Eases the dread and allows us to breed

Hollow words mean less than saliva

Quick-curing cement only hides the cracks

We’ve squandered our years, orange and black

I must concur with Sir Alfred Tennyson

Nature doesn’t care about the piece or whole

Instead it marches on and on

With disregard for mind and soul

Disappearing before we react

Just the briefest of footnotes, orange and black

Does our death constitute judgement day?

To be punished or forgiven

Or rather a collective wasting away

Lavished for living

Coping with instability is what I lack

Faced matted with tears, orange and black

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