My spiced tea on the gas stove did simmer,
The freshly made Indian breakfast on my plate did glimmer,
I was all set to sit on our porch,
And was prepared to extinguish hunger's torch.
Before I am submerged in my students' work on my phone,
For my day, I have to set a refreshing tone.
My favourite view of a forest, in myriad hues of green,
Every morning, by my eager eyes, is seen.
Then suddenly I heard a shrill, high pitched electric saw,
What I saw next made me drop my jaw.
Tall and stately trees, had, like criminals, been chained and roped,
All around agitatedly chirping birds, the destruction of their nests, moped.
Someone had decided to clear their plot,
For the trees, beasts and birds, they didn't spare a thought.
The sabre toothed saw began doing its deadly job,
Where, when needed, was the protesting mob?
I watched, helpless, frozen in time,
Just as the trees began to crash down, in a line.
My heart screamed, "Stop! A tree takes time to grow,
It's a process that's rather slow."
Then my tears began to flow,
Of 'development' what did I know?
Unable to do anything to save the trees, from my porch, I fled,
But my heart, like sap from the fallen trees, truly bled.
The electric saw continued to relentlessly purr,
For me, the rest of the day was a tear stained blur.
This is how, inch by inch, bit by bit, Earth we have destroyed,
With Nature's balance, we have badly toyed.
Floods, fires, unrest and destruction rages,
Humankind, as Earth's worst enemy, is duly noted in History's pages.
Maya Angelou spoke of " When Great Trees Fall".
I would add, "They ring the death knell for us all."
The gaps and the red soil is visible from where the trees were destroyed.
Wonder when these beauties will be 'cleared'?
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