What Have We Done?

Lying dormant underground
a thief of life is waiting
to steal the breath from those unaware.
Unknown to man until this time
when care has not been taken
to save our souls
from what is lying there.

Now who is to say what can be done
to stop the devastation,
spreading like fire among us
one and all?
As we discover
that which we have done to live
is now the very thing heralding
our own ending call.

To live the lives that bring our ease
we care not what we take.
Removing every resource from the ground
Then we stand in shame
when all goes wrong
when the sun goes down.

We have burned a path among the trees
and vines that protect us.
Stolen the very air from our skies.
Now we stand among the ruins
of our own creation
watching the Earth as we know it
say goodbye.

Author's Note

Submitted in the Earth Poetry Contest

Reviews

[Arthur Henn]

Reading this I think of this world of Concrete Jungle we all live in. Where I live, only twenty years ago we had orange and avocado groves all around us. It was still a small town in the wilderness.

Neva - your last stanza says it all, dear

We have burned a path among the trees and vines that protect us
Stolen the very air from our skies
And now we stand among the ruins of our own creation
Watching the Earth as we know it, say goodbye

[manchilld99]

Kind of stark. A departure from your usual lush and lyrical style. Form befits content. Suitably uncomfortable.

[LA Lorena]

Well, this is a change of pace for you, that's for sure! A loud wake up call for the human race. Well said, beautifully written.

[Coyote Poetry]

The scary part is that the poem is true. Thank to the Bush's law of 2005. USA allowed the tree-cutter into the protected forest of Teddy Roosevelt. Each day needed land is lost to contractors. A powerful ending to the poem. We must protect Mother Nature. If we don't. She will make us pay a price in the near future. A excellent poem.
Coyote

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

This is a passionate warning about our greed.
It's sad how far we go to amass more wealth.
Our only attitude is that we won't be here
when its time to pay the piper.

[Elephants & Coyotes]

I love you for writing this.
It baffles me that it took this long for people to really see what they were doing to the Earth - their home!
It's always nice to hear from those who feel the same way I do.

Lovely write as always.
=)

[Rene Velez]

I like this, first time I've seen this style of writing from you, really nice Neva.

[Muse]

We have burned a path among the trees and vines that protect us...........
Very true, we have taken too much, and gave little in return. I'm scared for the next generation, they will have to fix what we have broken.

[Lilly Negoi]

wonderful poem Neva - it's simply vibrating with awareness and wisdom...

[∂αʌ<..]

very very well-said Neva...we are the result of our own destruction...infact, i think we have been taken Mothe Earth as being a granted asset...and we didnt realise (if not to say we DID!) that one day its going to be destroyed!! its just an irreversible process now...we cant get what we had before...even if we try to save earth all we will get is a recycled one!!

magnificent concept which you manipulated extremely well! goodluck for the concept!^^

[Jvl narasimharao]

It is a different poem of yours.A poem of great message and meaning.
yoursJVL