In this world so big,
We hardly know even a fraction
Of the intricacies
And subtle movements,
The interaction of the organisms
And the inorganic matter,
All working together to keep us alive.
This world is full of gems,
Priceless treasures that we take for granted.
Especially the green gems,
Breathing life for us
Day in and day out while we snooze.
These graceful, silent giants
Beginning as the tiniest seeds
Growing into soaring monoliths,
Spreading their wings above us in the breeze.
They ask nothing of us
And yet they make our lives possible.
Not only does the oxygen they produce sustain us,
But their bodies provide us with
Homes, furniture, and so much more.
Like the metaphoric family tree they tell the story of life,
Their rings counting the years and showing
Their endurance through wars, births, deaths,
The rise and fall of civilizations,
Pillars of strength and resilience.
Trees are homes to birds and bugs
They feed and protect
Giving and nourishing each in their shadows.
Yet,
Day by day
we tear them down.
Day by day
they fall to the ground
Long life cut short by the raging blaze and the thankless abound.
Ten million hectares of forest
Are lost every year.
One football field of forest
is lost
every
second.
In the space of time
Occupied by the words of this poem
60 seconds
Football fields
Of forest
Have disappeared.
How many years
Of growth and progress and resilience
Were destroyed in these last 60 seconds?