My family is humanity
My country, the Earth.
National boundaries?
An elusive concept,
alien to me,
subject to change with time,alien to me,
related to disputes*, conflicts, wars and crimes,
often distracting us
from our common and urgent goals.
from our common and urgent goals.
I look around
I see haggard faces
of helpless malaria and Ebola patients;
little children scouting on dump fields
to whom schooling may be a luxury.
I see people netting in toxic** wetlands
searching for some tiny fish.
"I'd rather die of malaria than from hunger"!**
One skinny man said.
Those unrecognized faces
forgotten for years and years
have been haunting my mind.
I hear urgent cries
I see haggard faces
of helpless malaria and Ebola patients;
little children scouting on dump fields
to whom schooling may be a luxury.
I see people netting in toxic** wetlands
searching for some tiny fish.
"I'd rather die of malaria than from hunger"!**
One skinny man said.
Those unrecognized faces
forgotten for years and years
have been haunting my mind.
I hear urgent cries
from naked orphans
and malnourished women
asking for foods, and clothes and contraception
I hear the dying from diarrhea
still dreaming of unsalted oceans
I hear the dying from diarrhea
still dreaming of unsalted oceans
“Water, water everywhere"
but not a drop to drink!
but not a drop to drink!
I hear echoes from the Sahara and the Indian Ocean,
the laments of the have-nots
praying for food just enough to feed their family
at the dawn of the day.
Like a swallow
all alone, unable
to bring Spring
The swallow's chirping
echoes are from all directions
lost in the grey sky.
Silence remains.
Meanwhile,
the tick tock
of the clock.
January 27, 2015
Notes:
*Currently there are many marine and land disputes among nations in the world. It could be worse in the near future.
**In some areas in Africa (like Tanzania and Kenya) people use donated mosquito nets for fishing. These nets were, unfortunately, chemically treated!
