Who Will Help Our World If Not Us. Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

An endless war and a pandemic run together,
a heat wave so severe in cold countries
as climate-change keeps rotating its itinerary;
and as people keep protesting, fighting
in another country for new leaders,
their life gets so tough and rough
as tear gas, water pellets and bullets
keep striking them to quell their anger;
with days spent in rioting they feel so agitated
their own peace perishes and replenishes
only to delay and deprive them of true justice;
who will help our helpless world if not us?

And while there is starvation in one country,
an earthquake havocs another country;
and while there are floods in one country
there is no water in another country;
the world so amiss of calmness and fairness
when in the past few years stability reigned;
and now our helpless world so disadvantaged
by social, economic and political crisis;
who will help our helpless world if not us?

And as wars have devastated many countries,
our world is still facing war scenarios
our eyes still watching war tragedies everyday
and our human race becomes so uncertain
of tomorrow, of kindness, of compassion and unity;
and as one country chooses to go to war
it keeps destroying the other country mercilessly
as people keep dying just like sparrows
that are shot down during a hunting holiday;
and as soldiers keep shooting
people die, collapse or get injured;
the breathless and the senseless get entangled
in their battle of voracity and vengeance;
and as many people keep fleeing
to avoid death and wounds,
their houses keep burning as bombs keep striking
their apartments keep falling like dried leaves
and debris keeps accumulating on every street
with mortar parallel to human bodies;
who will help our helpless world if not us?

And as children and mothers, women and elderly
keep confronting sufferings like a hobby;
people still keep fearing the corona virus
as it still keeps silently infecting so many,
the monkey pox has now made its entry;
and while the summer heat escalates suffocation,
forest fires keep causing vibrant destruction
as it keeps moving and reaching close to habitation
and the fire-fighters work hard to extinguish the flames;
and as war, fire, heatwave, exploitation, devastation
confronts humanity somewhere or other,
everyone so restless everywhere;
who will help our world if not us?
who will help our world if not us?