There was a time when my rivers flowed clear
Many different coloured fish swirled in my oceans
Packs of buffalo ran wild through my wildernesses
And penguin colonies ruled my glaciers
There was a time when my forests were green and
lush
Dense canopies were filled with melodious
birdsong
Wild flowers and plants grew without restraint
And the forest floor crawled with insect kingdoms
There was a time when my earth was rich
Beneath me were buried treasures beyond
description
But human life was still worth more to all
And ‘treasure’ lived upon my surface itself
There was a time when man knew my sanctity
He used my resources and he replaced my losses
There was a sacred cycle of give and take
An understanding that there was interdependency
There is now a time when my rivers flow with
disease
My oceans are losing life, rare species becoming
extinct
My forests are shrinking, my branches are empty
And my very earth has been made barren
There is no more sanctity, only greed
I have been exploited by the people who need me
My resources are not replaced, nor invested in
And man fights man for what little remains
If we do not reverse, then the day will come
When the forests will be no more
The birdsong will cease
And there will be no roaming wildlife
There will be a day when the rivers dry up
When the oceans become tombs for what is no more
There will be a day when the lush green becomes
lost
Leaving only a whisper of lament
For what ceases to be.