A Victorian Atmosphere

In the age of steam, the ambitious burned
miles of forests and mountains of coal
to facilitate ascendance. The fat of sheep
and whales lit ballrooms; heady gaslights
illuminated pages of self-authorizing
permits for industrial exploitation, laws
directing military terrorism. Fumes, filth
and ashes permeated the air; we can tell
to the year when any representative art
from that era was created by the models
of gas-masks and oxygen-tanks shown—
which replaced jewels as newly important
fashion accessories and status indicators.