An Elegy for Life

Everyone knows that the world is suffering at the hands of humanity. When life's gone, there is no undo button.

I mourn as Life to rest is laid;
Her remnant fires fully fade.
No pleading words could now persuade
The chaos of demise.

The ground, once rich, has since decayed;
It could not hold the things we made.
The verdant Life it once displayed
Now withers and it dies.

The seas' great billows stood no chance
Against the progress and advance
That traded Life's aesthetic dance
For luxuries of lies.

The skies are warm and densely filled
With what we know we should have sealed
But we refused to humbly yield
To Nature's haunting cries.

And no one hears the blackbirds call,
Or listens as the canines wrawl,
And Life no longer speaks at all,
For she will not arise.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

There are so many people in the café who will cheer when they read your words, not only for their first class meter and poetic language, BUT maybe more for their meaning and intention. You've set facts in such a way, calmly, logically, that nobody with any love for our planet can deny the facts that our Earth and its beings, human and otherwise, are disappearing before our eyes. That last stanza stands as what is both a tragic and ironic memorial.

[Dara]

Hauntingly beautiful in content as well as in verse. Your message is powerful and much needed in this world of ours that seems slowly dying before our eyes.

[Einstein Noodle]

spot on rhythm and rhyme ..very natural and free actually .. very dark theme .. an apocalypse .. machines, pollution, greed, anger, envy strife .. .. all the things you mention are true .. and i believe there will be an end to all things one day .. no matter what humans do or don't do .. life is not meant to be forever .. only the soul ... your poem got me going this morning ..actually i was inspired to think of all the good that humans have and are doing 'round the globe :))) so good on ya! ...strong social commentary .. an always relevant theme .. we deserve the criticism says i!
E.

[Onlyme]

An amazing heartbreaking reality checks about life and humans not being in harmony with each other. And one day nature will be a distant memory due to lack of respect from fellow humans on earth. To the death of nature before it has gone for good. A warning we should all heed.

[Pete]

thanks to emmajoy for read requesting these dire words of illuminating truth - she knows i have a great love & respect for nature. my heart breaks at the reality you so diligently bring to the table but the concern warms my heart and gives me hope. last stanza powerfully says it all. bravo ... :)

[Coyote Poetry]

Your words, true. And few are paying attention.
"And no one hears the blackbirds call,
Or listens as the canines wrawl,
And Life no longer speaks at all,
For she will not arise."
The above lines are powerful. I pray daily, we are kind to earth and to each other. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[barleygirl]

Love this & thanks to Emmajoy for read requesting me on it! I am so torn up inside about the course we are on, as far as destroying the planet. Your rhyme & rhythm well-crafted to sound almost like a funeral dirge here. You pick a few distinct examples of the demise, stating everything in elevated but mournful tones, sounding like something written a hundred years ago, describing what's happened in the last 50 years of my lifetime, a visible, palpable decline of mother earth in every way! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

PS, I see you only have one posting so far & you are an ecology student . . . very interested in seeing what else you post. I read & write about nature quite a bit!

[emipoemi]

I have no words......my voice is in my awe!! Well done!!