LA TOMBE DE GAIA

By Sahima Mittal

Marvel the world above and below,
Beneath me sits the shallow core of this barren land
Above I hear the whispers of the pearl white clouds,
And the birds do sing a song so grand.

The waves return each second to kiss the shore,
The wind carries her scent with each village she blows in.
The forests are roaring their mighty roars,
But the birds’ voices are slowly like a din.

And then, a sudden disturbance occurs.
A slight crack and this perfect picture shatters,
A fragile heart by whom a promise has been broken.
Like an infectious disease it spreads until every heart beats no longer,
And the birds' tunes are just being spoken.

Humanity, burst these bubbles surrounding you,
And see what lies ahead as clear as day.
Beneath me now sits the gray tombstones of the past,
And the birds’ voices are breaking as they look down at the pavements gray.

A single building appears, then two, then three, and then it’s all we see,
Our thirst is synonymous with disaster.
Can't you see the weight the forests carry on their shoulders as we so carelessly tear them down?
Can’t you hear the birds have stopped their laughter?

Can you smell the wind’s scent anymore?
the plight of pollution is all that resides
The ignorance we display when all we see is fog,
And those birds that have flown away with the tides.

Can't you hear the ocean’s despair as it calls out your name?
While standing on the hazel sand gifted to us by Mother Earth?
The sand in her timer is slowly running out and it’s all because of man,
The birds have forgotten what their forest was once worth.

Those pearl white clouds I desire to see once again,
Because their beauty is slowly escaping my mind.
I would’ve stared longer if I knew that was the last time, they would look so pure,
And the last time the birds would sing for mankind.

For my innocence had never imagined there would be a finish line,
And that it was the society around me that would undo the bliss.
They have the same eyes, the same smile, the same hands as me,
But a different heart because I would never celebrate this.

This greed and need is shattering the ground beneath us,
I see its battle scars and hear its cries for plea.
This war brings bad harvests as the land is replaced by these towering castles,
And the construction of these paths is slitting mother nature’s wrists.

Can't you hear my trembling voice telling you to wake up?
The soil underneath our feet is parched and burning.
The ocean's healing power is slowly losing its touch,
But man is still not learning.

Man is the beast, and this earth is the beauty,
But this fairy tale has a different end;
For this rose's petals have all fallen off,
This ruptured world cannot be mend.

Wake up! I scream once more,
And do something before it is too late.
Save these beautiful forests and glue these cracks,
It is the only way to wipe this slate.

The birds will return once more,
But we must ignite the fire within.
We must act fast, like the cheetah when it stalks it prey,
For the line between endangered and rescued remains thin.

I urge man to open your eyes,
For we mustn’t lose hope in this heavy battle.
We are the only ones who can do something about this,
As we are the ones that have caused this rattle.

And soon, the finish line will look a little different-
The roars of the forests will echo,
And the waves will return to their home.
The wind will spread her love in every village,
And once more the clouds will roam.

And the birds will sing forever more,
And the birds will sing with this core.


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