POETRY: The Big "A"* - Indispensable to Life by Swapna Sridhar

You form the Earth's atmosphere,

You're given the name, "Air".

Many gases constitute you,

Nitrogen and Oxygen ,to name a few.

Moving air is wind,

The son tells me.

I smile at the exact definition,

And , I didn't have a different opinion.

My dear Air,

At times when ur gentle

You're termed a breeze.

When you get gusty,

They label you a storm.

You act as an insulator,

Shielding the earth.

You aid in photosynthesis

Isn't that a pure bliss?!

You occupy space,

We  breathe and live at our own pace.

You've no colour or odour,

You being our energy provider.

You aid in combustion and flight,

We built engines and machines in delight.

A kite flying high, the birds soaring in the sky,

Did you hear me Sigh?!

Dandelion seeds dance to your beats,

Whilst the maples flutter to the ground.

The huge bats to the tiny insects fly effortlessly,

How does it come so naturally ?

The Eolic energy used by wind turbines,

Is renewable, reduces pollution and emissions.

Yet, we march forward with our mission,

Burning fossil fuels, without intermission.

The three R's, taught in schools-

Reduce, recycle, reuse,

Are seldom put to use.

Let's not just preach, but pratice.

What if clean air came with a price tag?

Am sure we'd stuff it into our shopping bags.

The universe is smart, I say

And so is the creator (wink wink).

The planet belongs not just to us,

It's atmosphere (air) ever polluted just by us (humans).

Those with five senses wander freely,

And the tall trees and tiny plants breathe peacefully,

Whilst we the humans, felt the trepidation.

The ones privileged sat cribbing (watching the television),

While the rest started walking (back home),

There is nothing as respite or relief,

Domestic violence against women only increased.

Things started to go haywire.

People starved for three days in a row.

To hunt for the bare essentials,

Did you say new-normal?

We turned down medicos as neighbours,

Instead embraced our dear friend, meanness.

Is this even a confession?

Will anything ever teach us a lesson?!

Reduced Greenhouse gas emissions,

Beautiful photos of Cities where smog had lifted,

The Himalayas visible from quite a distance,

Well, they all made it to the headlines.

Pollution levels did drop,

The Glaciers melted fires,

The humpback whales at oil rigs, waved a hello.

The air, am sure, returned the hello.

People ran from pillar to post,

In need of things vital.

Not minding the hunger nor the crowd,

Like they'd vowed.

My beloved air,

Wish could extract your oxygen,

And save many lives.

Only if it was as simple as,

Pumping you into balloons and cycle tyres.

I still see the greed in me alive.

Will it ever die?

Nothing comes for free,

It's high time we set you free. (sans pollution).

When setting foot out , felt like breaking the rule,

Meeting friends (after ages), seemed so cool.

When will our children bag-pack and head to school,

Well, the son is already dreaming of splash pool.

It's been a year to contend.

The suffocation almost choked us,

But you never failed to soothe us.

Headed to the terrace every evening,

Your touch kept us going.

We've intertwined ever since,

You're my only outlet to unwind.

You hear my chatter,

You also hear me sing.

Even as I type this,

The mild breeze caresses my hands.

Is it a reassurance the rife is coming to an end?

At least, that's how I wish to comprehend.

Helping hands aplenty,

Together, held high the

humanity,

When things were at stake,

They made no mistake.

I appreciate the air we breathe in,

The air that saw us through.

With folded hands we pray,

Please show us the way.

The day the uncertainty ends,

We will feel content.

To even think about it , 

Feels like a breath of fresh air.

 

About the poet :
Swapna loves to pen down thoughts as and when she gets time off from her son.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) who kindled the interest in her to express her views and thoughts through writing. She finds writing quite liberating and it also gives her a high like no other.