Tinderbox

Parched sticks and twigs
Crack and crunch underfoot 
We're willing the powder keg to dampen
Without any luck

Dark brown is the foliage 
The grass and the trees
If only rain would come
From clouds supposedly seeded

This country's a tinderbox 
In many more ways than one
Polar extremes of political views
Scorch the ground like searing sun

Britain's youngest professor
Tragically takes his own life
In the wake of unfounded claims
Of plagiarism that were brought to light

Clutching desperately at straws 
Can this extreme climate ever be fixed?
"But...but this is just natural" and 
"What about the long hot summer of 1976?"

Extremes of opinion beat down 
Like the nuclear ball in the sky
Amplified by social media...

The sadistic kid with the magnifying glass held high