The Answer

It asked: Why has this happened? But it already knew the answer

The cold grey sky looked down on the world

It was a cold barren world

No creature seemed to be alive

Why has it come to this? The sky asked

But it already knew the answer

The great oceans once full of life

Are empty and black with decay

The surface didn't even move

It asked: Why has this happened?

But it knew the answer

The once great land mass

Once filled to the brim with life

Is rotten

No tree stood, only short stumps and dead wood

No blade of grass moved in the wind for there was none

No heart was beating as there was nothing left

The land wondered why things ended so

But it knew the answer

The greed had become too much

Power corrupted all leaders

No one was immune

All who fought were slayed

All who opposed were slayed

All who thought were slayed

As a human once said:

Only when the last tree has died

And the last river been poisoned

And the last fish been caught

Will we realise

We cannot eat money

Author's Note

Written a little while ago after watching a few documentaries in a row which reminded me of that old proverb and wanted to do something with it.
Any thoughts?

Reviews

[Hailey Shay]

Way to bring light to a potential future in such eloquent words. Such a creative and innovative piece that has some awesome imagery. Very well done.

[Ezekiel Silver]

A remarkable poem with fantastic imagery and important wisdom.

[lunawolf]

Thank you for the review and your kind words! =)

[Mia]

Hat off and bow to you! It’s the first piece I’ve read on humanities self destructive ways that not only saddened me but also (to be frank) scared the s**t out of me! Everyone tries to beautify the topic…and that’s not helpful! People change today; tomorrow they are back to the ways of the world. That last stanza is incredibly harsh! It’s perfect…like a necessary slash of icy water to wake one up to the realness of our reality. Fantastic write!

[lunawolf]

Thanks for the review!
I agree with you there, it's a bit like Earth day; turn the lights off for an hour one day of the year and do bugger all the rest. The last stanza is actually a proverb but I couldn't find anyone to quote for it.
Thank you very much indeed!

[Mia]

My pleasure

[Wolfwind]

I think you have brought across a very stark and fatalistic view of the future that could occur. While I think that we haven't gotten that far into ruin as a world yet, it certainly is a possiblity. However, I think we humans will be eating synthetic nutrient bars before it gets that bad, and we'll all be living in hugh hive like cities while mother nature is allowed to reclaim much of the planet. Those who don't want to live like some drone bee in a hive can always leave the planet and try their hand at some of the various space colonies that will start up in the near future. Or... fate will simply say, that it! and we'll all be wiped off the face of the planet by a meteor or a scurge of disease or something like that.

I think your piece really gives us all something to think about. Nicely crafted too! =)

Thanks for sharing your ink!
Aaron

[lunawolf]

Thanks for your review!
Who know's how it will all end up? There's so many ways to cause massive species extinction that we're probably both wrong.... either way it can be fun to imagine different scenarios and they make some pretty interesting story plots too =P

[Wolfwind]

So true! =)