Teesta Review: A Journal of Poetry, Volume 5, Number 1. May 2022. ISSN: 2581-7094
The
bees are not here …
 |
| Image: Phundis Courtesy: outlookindia.com |
Spring has set in early again…
An essential component of the food chain
The ‘Sangai’ deer – not sighted anywhere
near.
Their
voiceless whimper no one seems to hear.
‘Phumdis’ required for their survival
threatened
By the weapons of self-destruction man has
beckoned
Through political battles and exploitation.
Is
this the beginning of human devastation?
The sun shines brighter, March is awfully bright.
With angst, anticipate another summer fierce.
When dry river beds, drought and
barrenness pierce
The
throbbing earth, no one stands to gain!
The deluge of the past:
Man’s contribution to the ocean, with
retribution cast;
The heaps of rubble shattered people of
the nation;
Sea encroached in, washed gators into human
inhabitation;
Reptiles in homes – people screamed in
terror.
Not
forever! Soon was forgotten the horror.
Erratic climatic changes – warming and
cooling.
For bees and insects, anything but
soothing!
Invasive species and pesticides hamper
feeding
Disrupt
nesting, destroy habitat and breeding.
Rainforests could turn into Savannahs soon.
Will
that augur Man’s doom?
Note:
“Phumdis” are a series of floating islands,
exclusive to the Loktak Lake in Manipur state, in
northeastern India.
They cover a substantial part of the lake area and are heterogeneous masses of
vegetation, soil and organic matter, in different stages of decay.
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