The earth’s lungs are on fire, yet we don’t think it’s important to debate

Dynamites are burning a hole in the jagged mountain’s yet we don’t seem to care

Temperatures are rising; glaciers are losing their defenses and melting

Rivers are choked, strangulated with plastic and sewage flowing;

As man continues to grab all landmass, the river has no option

She flows into their homes and ravages everything in her wake;

After all, what would you do if cornered and choked from everywhere?

There are floods in some places, while the others cry for a single drop of rain.

Animals too have survival instincts,

If you bulldoze their homes, they are bound to enter yours.

A house cat too will retaliate when in fear

They won’t cry and plead but will adapt and lead

Fishes are swimming to poles and leopards are entering villages

A tiger too might eat grass…

But what about you and me?

Are we strong enough to adapt?

Are we smart enough to sustain.?

The writing is on the wall, for everyone to see

Apocalypse is not a one-day event,

It starts when nature strikes back;

The time has come and its time we cope;

Sustainable eco-friendly development the only hope

Amazon Fire 2019
Image Source – https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/23/shared-amazon-forest-fire-images-old-10619121/

I wrote this prose poem after the recent events and natural calamities that have struck the world over. There are forest fires in Amazon – (the lungs of the world), there are rampant constructions on hills and mountains in the name of development. The Glaciers in Antartica are melting and plastic has found its way to the South Pole as well!

The recent floods and cloud burst in India and drought in other parts like Chennai point towards water mismanagement and deficit. While the unprecedented heatwave across Europe is only making things worse. The natural habitats of animals across the world are shrinking while man is exerting extreme pressures on the limited natural resources.

This poem considers these incidents as alarm bells given by nature for man to mend his ways or face consequences. Sustained efforts by all the countries towards conservation, promoting local tribes and motivating them to protect the environment with jobs around environmental conservation, strict action against illegal activities is the key.

22 Replies to “Warning Bells from Earth – Amazon Fires”

  1. Have you seen the Netflix series, Leila?
    it’s about a world in the future and more than the story, what I saw about how our world was depicted, gave me the shivers. The world as we know it now will no longer exist in some years from now. The beginning of the end has started and we are to be blamed for it all. Our attitude of taking things for granted, taking the planet for granted has led us to this stage when we are at the mercy of nature’s wrath.
    If we don’t wake up now, if we don’t take any steps now, we can’t even imagine what the future generations will have to live with!
    I loved the poem you have written and, believe me, it gave me goosebumps!
    Such a sad state of affairs all because man has been so careless in looking after his home! 🙁

  2. The population explosion is a big problem.The mother earth is over burdened and we need to remember everything is finite materially.

  3. It is hightime respect our mother nature and understand the pollution we are creating for our environment. I hope people understand and change small changes make a big difference.

  4. A powerful message and a powerful post indeed. I have always advocated sustainable living and your post clearly shows the adverse effects of natural imbalance.

  5. and a total apathy towards it from the world, is so disheartening. Killing millions of hectares of green cover and animals in the name of clearing land is the biggest crime possible. It will turn back to haunt us very soon.

  6. The nature has already warned us so many times like, heavy rains in Mumbai, floods in Assam earthquake in Gujarat but India still does not understand the importance of sustaining our natural environment we are still cutting are mangroves we are still cutting of forest and is going to be bound to happen no so I feel let’s be prepared for it and one man cannot do it we need to make an joined effect to show the environment that we do care

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