I was fondly remembering…

When I was sixteen

The mango trees in my backyard

And the wonderful countryside was so lush and green;

The untouched beauty of nature,

The chorus of birds at dawn,

Beside a beautiful rocky waterfall

And a million shades of sky,

From spring to autumn – life was living all four seasons.

 

Low-growing wild flowers of spring

Provided a soothing visual aid,

The scorching hot sun in the month of May,

The birds sitting on my porch to quench their thirst,

The rainy weather and the cold winds,

And I still remember my slow walk in the snow,

Autumn leaves scattered all around…

I always enjoyed writing my name on them.

 

Look around now,

There are hardly any trees,

I listen to the slogan and I read it quite often,

Let us ‘Go Green’…

Trees are replaced by sky touching condominiums,

Kind gestures are acquired by spacious houses,

Then we wonder why climate is changing,

And we term it as ‘global warming’.

 

The tragedy of the farmer,

As it hardly ever rains,

Human innovations or technology advancements

Have conquered the beauty of nature.

We will never be able to tell our children

The excitement of climbing a banyan tree,

Or the divine ecstasy of a peacock dancing in the rain,

And the benefits of herbs to cure serious ailments,

Yesterday to today – gone are those days.