Countdown Poem by Gianfranco Aurilio

10 trees in the forest.
The home of my tribe
for thousands of years.
9 trees in the forest.
The thirst of riches
can dry up an ocean.
8 trees in the forest.
They assured us
that they will not cut more trees,
in the name of respect.
7 trees in the forest.
They told us
that they still have to cut
a few more trees,
in the name of progress.
6 trees in the forest.
The world is a peacock
that boasts of its ideals,
in the name of rights
but its tail soon closes again.
5 trees in the forest.
We don't find food anymore
and our children cry,
in the name of hunger.
4 trees in the forest.
Someone writes about us,
in the name of information.
3 trees in the forest.
Someone pretends to help us,
in the name of falsity.
2 trees in the forest.
We are dying
and everyone notices.
One tree in the forest.
We are dead
and no one notices.
There are no more trees in the forest.
They will write books
on the extinct tribe
and they will pass on
to the next forest.

21.8.'15