Hovering over a flashing sign
At the portal to Ahmadi**
Chirped the fluttering sparrow
To the tiny desert flower
That had just offered
Its first golden smile
To the rising sun of spring:
“Eh, ye! What are these guys upto
Erecting these boards all around
That change colours and scenes
Like lights on a festival ground? ”
The flower smiled again,
This time philosophically:
“My flying friend of the sky,
Haven’t you yet heard
HSE, HSE, HSE!
“Having all these years,
Burnt and smoked earth and air,
Men choked of breath,
Have now seen some sense
And know for sure
The dance of death awaits
If they don’t change their traits.”
“Nature, the teacher,
Has taught them the lesson
That they should have known
From day one – but Alas!
They had chosen
The peril of undoing
Their own God-given home.”
“Isnt’t it strange that it took
A hole in the polar skies,
Countless clogged windpipes,
Scarred lungs and hearts,
Scary seas of slick and waste,
Smoky dark afternoons,
Gasping towns asthmatic
For them to understand
The simple truth that the gift of God,
This ‘blue marble’ of the cosmos
Is a treasure to be preserved,
Be whatever the cost? ”
“Listen friend, they have now begun,
Singing a chorus in unison,
“HSE, HSE, HSE! ”
In utter repentance and in hope,
Determined to salvage
The oases senselessly ravaged”.
“Young men and women
Who put up these signs
Have a vision of what their home
Should be like, unlike the ones
Who rushed before them
Defiling nature’s sacred realms
In wanton, hasty sacrilege.”
“HSE, HSE, HSE! ”
Echoed the sparrow,
As it soared in the brilliant sun,
Buoyed by the February wind,
Hope infused by the flower,
On to a eucalyptus branch
That smelt health and well-being.
A bemused alley cat
That sat under the tree
Wondered what all this joy could be.
Her whiskers rayed out
Untold happiness
Deep from a sunny heart
As she mewed with the wind
“HSE, HSE, HSE! ”.
“HSE, HSE! ” sang the kids
Their voice filled with mirth.
“HSE, HSE” sang the winds
As they hissed and kissed the trees.
“HSE, HSE” sang the heart
As it lay on God’s own lap,
Dreaming a world clean and green
Where all His children lived and preened
Letting every creature live
In peace, endowed with healthy breath,
Safe and secure without care
“HSE, HSE, HSE! ”
________________
*HSE = Health, Safety and Environment
* * Ahmadi is an oil town in Kuwait
Leave it to Madathil Nair to bring attention to a very important issue in such a creative manner. Thank you, sir.
The dialogue between the sparrow and the desert flower is beautifully conceived to present the environmental impact of man's thoughtless acts. Nicely said This ‘blue marble’ of the cosmos Is a treasure to be preserved Also brown sphere the earth as included in the poem. Thank you for bringing out this poem to share with all.
It is very important that people realise the importance of HSE and the delicate connection that exists between them.With the accleration of industrial growth, nature has to bear its burnt and its is high time that we look into it so that the generation next does not suffer on our account.A beautiful poem on a burning issue that needs to belooked into very earnestly
More than ever, we now bear the brunt of environmental pollution. After a generation who recklessly spoiled the pristine ambience of the Earth, the modern generation is becoming aware of the devastation caused by a prostituted earth and are coming forward boldly with wide spread campaigns and programmes for Nature's protection. All the flora and fauna are happy about this laudable gesture. The sparrow, fast becoming extinct now is the choir leader to sing the refrain- - HSE and the tiny flower, the demonstrator! A great write where we see the entire Nature gregariously applauding a great move!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
A Beautiful poem on describing the importance of HSE. I remember the slogan....Each One Plant One, bringing awareness among school children regarding the importance of HSE in our life. A meaning write. Something different I am reading. Beautiful presentation. Loved reading it. Beautiful picture.