The 2021 US Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries states that in global metal reserves we have
38 years of copper left
20 years left for silver
19 for gold and lead
and 15 for zinc

I will be 55 when all of these have run out.

38 years of copper: 2nd most conductive material only to silver and what we use for almost all wires

we will take and take until there is no more
and then what?
will we finally then recycle
build from scraps
will all the tech simply die
piles of phones adding to the piles of tamagotchis and ET video games?
perhaps in a milenia buried back into the recesses of the earth
like a child tucked into bed

or will we take from each other
more than we already have
until the elite wear gilded armor to protect themselves
from the consequences of their actions

Spread the Fire is a Youth Speaks workshop series facilitated by YS Poet Mentor, Hieu Minh Nguyen. The series aims to demystify the publishing side of poetry. In the workshop, poets learn how to refine and prepare their poems for publication. The fire you spit on stage, can also scorch the page. Burning down the borders between page and stage, poets learn how their poems can gain a new life by accessing a readership through publishing.