Wastelands

Your pollution turns to wastelands;
rubble piled in mountains,
smog shrouding you like a thick blanket.
You never realise until you choke how this is toxicity,
smothering your lungs and poisoning your blood,
draining life of colour and beauty until all that's left is
grey, empty
wastelands.

You can hold beauty in one palm,
crush it with the other.

Breathe in pure oxygen,
exhale and inhale again.
Watch, observe---
the greenery of this planet gives birth;
to the next breath you take,
to the precious, sweet sustaining of life,
succulent fruits and parchment that holds wisdom,
rustling leaves and melodious birdsong.

You can hold perfection in one palm,
crush it with the other.

You're a child ripping leaves from trees,
grown to find beauty in fire, destruction,
willing to tear down forests that sustain you.
Breathe in, breathe out;
every breath replaced, renewed,
rainforests destroyed, habitats stolen.
One day this planet won't be so green.
One day this planet won't hold so much beauty.

You can hold life in one palm,
crush it with the other.

And when the beauty starts to turn grey,
pollution piled up in wastelands,
when the precious air that we breathe isn't so sweet,
when trees choked and poisoned aren't so green;
perhaps then, we'll realise we are killing ourselves.

Reviews

[Nikolean]

I love the concept here! Though the flow was disrupted in some places, it was well done overall! Keep up the great poems!

[Brenda Woods]

Thank you! Must admit, I'm not overly happy with the flow in a few areas of this poem - it was a quick write based off a picture prompt as more of an exercise/challenge sort of thing, though. Perhaps I'll revisit it some day and try to improve it some more.

Thank you for your lovely review!

[Nikolean]

You're welcome!

[Aatharva Banaitkar]

Vey nice concept and ideology

[Brenda Woods]

Thank you :)

[ANTO]

Congratulations on attaining 3 in the contest with this one Brenda. Its fine writing with a message that has gone unheeded for too long. Kudos!

[Brenda Woods]

Thanks! :)

[Jamestown]

Fantastic writing, I agree with this message firmly, Thanks for sharing.

[Brenda Woods]

Thank you very much!