POETRY : The Warrior Earth by Swapna. S

Our long roots sucked up your nectar 

Turning your green meadows and pastures into browns.

The once fertile you is more or less replaced by parched patches.

Bulldozers broke you into bits and pieces.

Human intervention never ceases.

Failed to quench your thirst,

Instead built high-rise buildings with all our mirth.

The little lakes, swampy marshes, do we even seek?

If only we were eco-freaks.

Sewage water ran steep, contaminating your crystal-clear-lake-water deep.

Endless smoke emissions, sans intermissions,

Where art thou:

Thy fresh air,

Your gentle breeze and

The bright blue sky.

Dredged your river sands, not minding the ban,

When floods came by, we acted wondering, why?!

Rowed boats, seeking shelter even in burrows.

Lessons aplenty, yet didn't mind nature's fury.

Deforestation is the *pick* of the day,

Well, we always had it our way, come what may.

Trees cut into logs and transported in trucks,

Out of which are born products worth many bucks.

By invading the habitats of innumerable living species,

And with zero effort to protect the endangered species,

We continue to pose a threat to biodiversity , with ease.

Oh! You dear indigenous people,

How we chase you out of your cocoon overnight.

Snatching away your livelihood,

Clearly there's no room for brotherhood.

The water-table disturbance, soil erosion and climatic changes - also the resultants,

If only there were environmental consultants.

Camouflaged each human activity,

By calling it nature's fury :

Increased green house gases

Holes in the ozone layer

Drought

Famine

Flood

Forest Fire

Landslide

Water scarcity and more so.

We play the blame game, 

Acting as if we are sane.

We preach more than we practice,

Did you say Go-Green?!

Say No to plastic.

Rain water harvesting

Avoid burning of solid and agricultural waste

Minimize carbon emissions

Afforestation

Cleaning up of rivers and water-bodies

Road traffic rationing etc...

Ban Forest area encroachment

Prohibit mining etc

Initiatives in abundance

If only there was concurrence and adherence.

The many food chains and food webs symbolise

 interdependence,

When all that mattered to us is " Our " existence.

With bated breath you look up panting,

At the intellect-beings, who ignored thy suffering.

We reap what we sow,

As long as there is a tomorrow.

When Ecological balance is the word of the day,

There's always sunshine to make some hay.

While you created everything silently,

We destructed everything violently.

Locked up indoors ,

Unable to pollute or harm you,

We admire you,

Even as you heal.

Reminiscing the horrid past,

Even as we walked fast,

Paying no heed to your plea

Leaving you numb, we soared high up to the sky,

Failing to realise your hue and cries.

The lessons we have learnt are here to stay,

To learn to love and respect you is the only way.

Even as we wish all this was a nightmare,

We swear to march forward, with painstaking care.

Yet, You continue to be:

An epitome of patience,

A symbol of grace,

A lover like no other,

A caretaker of your inhabitants,

A mother to many billions,

An embrace with no menace,

A giver sans expectations,

A comforting lap, and

A selfless warrior in an amicable armour.

My dear Earth,

You will always be.

I hereby pledge to PROTECT you,

For it's high time I return the favour.


About the poet 

Swapna loves to pen down thoughts as and when she gets time off from her toddler. 
She finds it quite interesting to be observant of whatever catches her fancy and to express it to the best of her abilities. She thanks her Editor-Friends( from the print media) for continuing to inspire her with their creative juices. 

She has written for a previous edition of Inkspire here.