From the brink of extinction

I've been known to talk of sadness
About darkness humans hold inside
We can often share in madness
A mania believed far and wide

We humans do despicable deeds
And honestly, I don't know why
We can sew destructive seeds
Which later blot out the sky

It's....a lot, sometimes

But I wish to talk of hope
Of great effort over time
Provide a little soap
To wash away the grime

Humans can do despicable things
But also great things too
There's a power that persistence brings
A power that also belongs to you

It takes a lifetime of trying
And hard study of conservation
But we can stop people dying
Or save animals through preservation

I've known many educators
Passing knowledge through generations
Others who are innovators
Preserving cultures across nations

Nothing is gone until we stop trying
There is a world between dead and dying
And some humans may wonder why we're crying
About the "bright future" we insist on defying

It's because, well, there is more to Earth than the present
We share this planet with the future and the past
There is beauty to witness beyond what mere humans can invent
And it would be a shame if we were the last