The Song Of A Mockingbird

By Tanie Natung

A mockingbird perched on a lifeless tree, began to sing:

“The world was in perfect order, not too long ago,

The air clean, rivers clear, grass green and sky blue,

Glaciers intact, oceans leveled and food chains in order.

Then, humans embraced civilization,

And greed eclipsed all humanity,

See what the world has now become!

There seems no end to destruction—

Of forests, rivers, and mountains,

Of oceans, air, and sky!

Bringing untold misery,

Disease, and death,

To humans, environment, and us!

The sky cries, so do air, water, and land,

Eyes bleed, lungs choke,

And blood churns with toxic fumes!

When will humans learn,

Realize their repeated folly,

And end this holocaust?”

I stood nearby, a passerby beside the tree,

Contemplating human’s collective failure,

And my heart was filled with shame!

By Tanie Natung