A once mighty glacier calves into brittle blocks of ice

Drifting across an emerald lake

New to the planet in geologic time.

Created and carved over two million years,

Diminished and depleted in just eighty,

About the lifespan of an average American,

About the time it took for the American West to be subdued.

Across the border, tar sands promise cheap energy, good jobs, and a healthy environment.

Coal deposits to the southeast promise more of the same.

Never mind the natural risks and human costs.

On all sides of the glacier, large truck convoys muscle in to fuel the energy cowboys, prowling once wild and rural corridors in The Last Best Place.

In fifty years or less, the oil, gas and coal will all be gone,

Along with Grinnell and Montana’s other glaciers,  and the communities of life they once naturally supported.