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Penance: A Poem by Lalita Vaitheeswaran

She was parched and dry, wounded and abandoned

By her own children who were blinded by wealth

They wanted more and more; greediness galore

Resorting to means full of wickedness and stealth

 

They broke her branches, to make their abode

Dirtied her bosom from which she fed so many

Vandalizing, capturing, and crushing her essence

Standing upon the graves by terror and tyranny

 

Her children suffered in silence as she dropped a tear

Her helpless cries did not their souls stir

Ruthlessly their horrific, monstrous laughter swayed

She was deprived of her cornucopia of water and air

 

Mother earth resolved to save her other children dumb

She penanced and flooded the earth with copious tears

Earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis shook their conscience

Until the evil humans pledged to protect for many years