Dear Earth,

 

Your rolling fields of amber grass,

Cerulean waves of primeval,

And skies painted with ripe orange, bubblegum, and perfect aubergine

Are no longer as beautiful as they once were.

 

My heart tells me to inform you,

That it is man that has made your name synonymous to decimation.

 

We taint your valleys with our mountains of trash that scrape the sky,

With our nuclear waste that mutates your flora,

With our pollutants that ruin your crystal waters and pristine airs,

And with our pride that takes the gifts you bestow us for granted.

 

The creatures you have nurtured for centuries are now disappearing,

Leaving behind empty vacuums where they once resided.

The ones still breathing are silenced by a bullet,

Their bodies hung on walls to mock you.

 

Rivers that you provided for my ancestors have vanished,

Leaving empty chasms of sadness and despair.

The echoes of rushing water bounce off hardened river banks,

Showing me just how dry your flesh has become.

 

Your tears from the northern glaciers startle me,

As does the burn mark around your midsection.

I have never seen such warmth emanate past your protective shield of life,

Nor have I ever seen it fade away so quickly.

 

I close my eyes only to hear the cries you bellow

As your lungs in cities become darker and darker

Leaving all men and creatures to suffer,

And to dwell behind face mask forever.

 

I ask of you Earth to forgive us wretched humans for what we have done.

Give us a chance to heal the wounds we have inflicted upon your body.

Let us reverse the travesty our ancestors began

And perhaps then,

You can prosper again.

 

Respectfully and Sympathetically,

Adriana Turbeville