The Earth laments

Saturday, 18 November 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Surya Vishwa

Do not say I slide

Or slip

Or quake

Do not bring to me

The falsity of your protection

Within your endangered bricks

That is within my reach

To tear like paper

Your empty words

Enshroud me

With promised

Wellbeing

As you destroy my heart

As you fell

Each other

For swathes of my bosom

Which you wrap with

The territorial fabric

Of your greed

To own

Patches of my body

To demarcate, fence, wall off

Strip, evict, imprison, kill

The other who wants

Nothing

But to live

With me in happiness

To live

Just as you want

In happiness

But you scavenge for freedom

For the good life

Of laughter and the food

That I grant

But do unto them

What you do not wish

Done unto you

Oh human, you puny collective

Of atoms

That will not last a fraction

Of my time

Think

What is it

You preach

In exalted pulpits

Who authorised

You to still life

Even as you wish for my body

To live upon

To own

To raise a flag upon

What kind of happiness

Can you seek

To build homes

On mountains

Of torn flesh

What kind of patriotism

Can you fathom?

To sing your anthems

With the orchestra

Of silenced breath

To me

You

Are all the same

I do not care

For your pious

Pomposity

Your petty identity

You are all greeted by me

At birth

Nameless

Creedless

To live free

To let others live

Free

The faith I bestow on you

Is the humanity

Of the dew bathed grass

In which hides the grasshopper

Waiting to snuggle

In the golden blanket

The sun would spread

Upon the sweet smelling

Blossoms

That lures the butterfly

From its cocoon

That offer nectar

To the birds

Who sojourn the sky

Singing praise

Combing my green tresses

In their flight

These

Are your gifts

To live, love, enjoy

I am the earth

The prayer

The life

The faith

The tomb

The witness

Of your choice

To sift through love

And choose

Hate

So do not

Say I slide

Or slip

Or quake

Say

I mourn

I mourn

I mourn

Your abominations

Your educated

Stupidity

Your technological

Criminality

Your scientific

Backwardness

Your patriotic wars

Your pious

Profanity

I mourn

I die

I rant

I rave

I die

Do not

Say

I slip

Or slide

Or quake