A Distress Call from Planet Earth

  •   Thu, Sep 12 2013
  •   By Anita Britto, Auckland

September 12, 2013

A Distress Call from Planet Earth


600 million people watched, their mental boundaries stretched

As Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a time in history etched

In that giant leap for mankind the astronauts had seen

A splendid visual spectacle – ethereal and serene

 

Filled with awe they looked around seeing blackness so intense

Choked with sheer emotion in every moral sense

For in the midst of darkness they saw their planet Earth

And experienced nothing short of a spiritual rebirth 
 


An awesome forlorn beauty – A jewel in the sky

Witnessed by 3 earthmen as they looked and wondered why

This fragile lonely planet was crying loud in pain

Complaining about CFC’s and even acid rain

 

Sending out an SOS she said we must act quick

With Climate change which threatened her she felt disturbed and sick

The ambulance might be too late unless we act in haste

With Carbon footprints every where there is not time to waste

 

If you were an astronaut and went to outer space

And watched this tiny world of ours from some celestial place

A vantage point I’d call it for you’ll see the world as one

Not continents or countries where wars are fought and won 

 

In our narcissistic quest to escape Malthusian fate

We’ve waged a war with Nature and hope it’s not too late

To salvage what we can in this toxic plastic land

For our planet is in peril and it’s time we took a stand 

 

Our deserts are expanding, so is the Ozone hole

The permafrost is melting – we have to take control

Belching smoke from exhaust pipes - it’s time we pulled the brake

With Green house gases on the rise we have a lot at stake

 

“An inconvenient truth” it is - we have to pay the price

As pointed out by Al Gore when he offered sound advice

Let’s Reuse and Recycle cause we don’t have time to borrow

And if you don’t believe me watch “The Day after Tomorrow”

 

Our planet is in dire straits – Let’s make it clean and green

Let’s tackle global warming and make our world pristine

Let's plant more trees and dredge canals and make the change we can

Let's clean up all our oceans – where all life first began 

 

The Earth does not belong to us – We belong to it

The acrid deadly haze of fumes have made the earth unfit

Our Ecosystem's crumbling while our forests disappear

Though we blame it all on Rio with words so insincere 

 

Let’s save the only home we know or else we will be blamed

By all our children’s children who’ll say the earth we’ve maimed

We’ve reached a point of no return – there is no Planet B

Or soon we’ll end up writing Mother Earth’s obituary.

 

Anita Britto Archives:

 

 
By Anita Britto, Auckland
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Comment on this article

  • anita britto, Mangalore/ Auckland

    Sun, Sep 22 2013

    Thank you so much for all the appreciative comments.Feels very good and am absolutely overwhelmed by all the kind words.

    Also endorse the view from Mr.Peter that many like Mr. Bhandarkar and others who comment should actually send in articles which am sure will be well received by a big fan following.

    The feedback is not only encouraging but also very witty and informative and food for thought to write another piece.

  • R.Bhandarkar, M'lore

    Wed, Sep 18 2013

    Dear Peter...
    I am humbled. Thank you.Shall give it a thought.
    Must confess however that with writers here in this 'special segment' and poetesses like Anitha it is not needed.What writing and what command! And a very genuine , warm person to cap it all...We are in the midst of jewels I tell you.

  • Melwyn & Lynette Pinto, Chikmaglur / Bengaluru

    Wed, Sep 18 2013

    Anita,

    Heart touching - Bombat Poem.
    Good job.

  • Peter, Bolkunje/Mangalore

    Sun, Sep 15 2013

    This comment is for Bhandarkarmam. I have been following your comments daily on various topics. I enjoy reading them. I think you too can write interesting poems snippets not just in this language, but also in Konkani, tulu, Kannada, Malyalam, Hindi, and Tamil - may be more. I would love to read. Thanks. Anita well done.

  • JD, Edmonton/Mangalore

    Fri, Sep 13 2013

    An excellent article, brainstorming the current and the future generation. Better late than never. Let us all join together hand in hand and save our planet Earth. Thanks Anita for this inspirational article.

  • Joe Britto, Nakre/Bangalore

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Truly amazing piece by our poetess. You have hit the nail on the head with amazing facts. Surely your rhymes will ring a bell to many and create greater awareness and inspire everyone to do their bit to save our planet. We are living on the legacy of our children and if we do not do more to save this precious Earth and the environment surrounding it, the next generation will surely curse us.

  • Richard Lewis, Udyavar/Bangalore

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Brilliant and very touchy. Anita - you did it again, God bless.

  • Tony Crasta, Sydney/Mangalore

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Wonderfully crafted poem, conveys lot of concern about the fast decaying planet earth, and everyone should play their part, however, small that may be, in preserving this precious asset. Well done Anita!

  • Alok Nath, Bengaluru

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Anita, you make me feel guilty when I waste water or polute it, when I use my car when I really needn't use it, when I use a plastic bag and throw it simply, cut the tree for my use and never plant one when an opportunity was there. Sleep with blanket in an AC room when a simple fan would do, fire a cracker or flower pot when a lamp could do. and so on ....

  • Dr.Anand t pereira, sakleshpur/mangalore

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Absolutely brilliant. The message is loud and clear. You have covered all aspects threatening the very existence of our fragile planet. All is not lost. There are a few crusaders and we need many more to inspire and inculcate in youngesters the values of our sacred Planet. It is important to drive home the point that we need to dwell on sacred truth rather than commercial truth alone which is destroying the PLANET.

  • R.Bhandarkar, M'lore

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Dear Anita..
    If it was titled 'A Damsel's Distress Call' there would have been many trying or helping to de stress ! You write 'Planet Earth'
    and many may say we have heard it all before and will be complacent as usual.This sadly is the way it is.
    I on my part wish to tell you that this poem of yours should be made the 'Anthem' for preservation of ' Mother Earth'. So beautifully is it written, that behind it, I could see her smiling in happiness ,knowing that there was at least one who did care and used her skill for that purpose.
    Keep writing dear 'Writing Wonder'......

  • Well wisher, Udupi

    Thu, Sep 12 2013

    Anita,
    An eye opener indeed, but no one would believe it, if you try to make people aware you will be called as either pessimistic or crazy, as they are all running after money when we realise it it would be too late I'm sure,.


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