Concerning Burning - August 15, 2017
Leaves and branches in a pile in my yard,
resting a while since raking was hard.
Next I prepare to do the burning,
but something about fire is quite concerning.
Why spend the time on so nice a day,
when effortlessly, they will decay?
Be it burning or decomposition,
each produces a greenhouse emission:
carbon dioxide or methane gas.
But here’s what made my burning urge pass.
Now I view rot as a better solution.
That is because combustion pollution
for leaves and for sticks
emits more carbon dioxide
by a factor of six!
So in my yard, off to the side,
a pile of brush -
it’s demise not to rush.
It shrinks away throughout the year.
Never with smoke, the air stays clear.
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