The Momma Clan

My gigantic silvery glaciers melted subtly over the years

To supply water to my rivers

Overflowing with cool and clear transparent water

They allowed you to mushroom and flourish 

On the vast clean and green land surrounding their banks

Many civilizations bloomed and vanished

I tore my heart apart to strongly root your life

And to nourish and support you 

My produce nurtured you through generations

And provided you with nectar divine

And my atmosphere filled with air, clean stimulated your lungs

Allowing you to breathe and appreciate

The fragrances of the pastures, the moist soil, and the fresh blooms

For you, after a hard day’s toil, to unwind

My green pastures were a pleasure to your eyes

My beaches serene and mountains majestic

Gifted you with tranquility to soothe your tired psyche

My views breathtaking were any painter’s delight

During hot weather

My springs and falls gave you a breather 

And my lush green trees made you feel like sitting in your mother’s lap

The cool breeze allowing you a relaxing nap

The clouds scattered in my atmosphere

Provided you with relief from the scorching rays

Which would have otherwise burnt you out

In a fraction of seconds 

And showered occasionally to grant you a new lease of life

You too enjoyed those thunders with romantic music since ages

My oceans allowed you to row your boats

And travel all over

Either in the quest for knowledge

Or for discovering my hidden treasures

I let you all the freedom

And allowed you all the pleasure

You sought my child

Afterall how could your mother have denied you

Your basic rights 

My boons were a blessing for you my child

But greed took over your mind

My resources, you milked and victimized

You had enough to thrive

But still craved for more

Deforestation, Industrialisation, Urbanization, and Modernization 

Followed in the name of growth

You ripped apart my heart

You perforated my lungs

You stole my gems

And robbed me of my elegance

You smoked out venomous serpents

And they stealthily hissed in those dark clouds of emissions 

You drained poisonous effluents

And those drains became tributaries to my daughters

You birthed millions of tons of waste as a result of your inventions

And created such big heaps

That stood tall to challenge my mighty mountains 

My estates still tolerated your ruthlessness boldly 

But my fragile atmosphere gave-in and AQI started rising

With the rise in carbon emissions in the name of technological advancement 

The temperatures rose and my subtle fragrances evanesced

But you didn’t care

My climates changed, my temperatures sore

My eyes bled the poison that you fed in return for the nectar that I gave

Many catastrophes came

In a way,

I tried to warn you time and again

But Alas ! all in vain

You in your ruthlessness

Tore my robes apart

Nobbled me of my treasures

And gobbled them as a horde of hungry foxes

Ready to tear apart

Anything and everything that comes their way 

And my glaciers bore the impact

They cried, wept and screamed, and yowled

And then broke down like lost warriors

Who had stood tall for eons

The cool winds howled

The cries of agony

Before they finally departed

Giving way to hot gases and air

The clouds deserted me resulting in droughts

And my daughters who had supported you

Are now begging before you for their lives

Don’t you realise that 

Your incorrupt and faultless cousins too

Are bearing the brunt of your violations

O! Selfish humans

Now take my warning as my final injunction

And STOP

Or else I’ll mark a FULL-STOP.

-Ashu Verma Chaubey