It seems the earth is cracking up

Taps, rivers, rivulets, springs, wells

Are squeezed dry

Selfishly man drowns his own hopes and aspirations

As he rents the earth’s entrails

To loot and prosper

Material wealth has knotted his pride

He can ruin the hopes of others

Who ramble up and down the ladder of life?

Awaiting a few glasses of water

To quench the thirst of his family

With cans in hands he rushes towards a tap

The dried up… soaks his hope

He can live without food, but water

The nectar of life denies his already parched hope

We, the living are senseless, harsh and severe

We dig, dig and dig… the hopes of others

By ruining the environment, destroying flora and fauna

Curving our misdeeds to our benefit

While the poor, the meek and the lowly

Walk miles and miles away to fetch a glassful

The dreadful summer heat

Burns the skin

Burns their hopes for tomorrow

They cannot roast their meal

They cannot sleep on an empty stomach

Their throats parched and dried

Lick their lips

They perspire and sweat in the dusk of the day

With a hope for tomorrow

Looking up to heaven

To envelope their sorrow

Perhaps a floating cloud will ease their pain

As human beings, we have failed.

                                                       ~Shobha Diwakar

                                                        Jabalpur, India