AADMI
New Delhi, India
2024, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Marvel the world above and below,
Beneath me sits the shallow core of this barren land
Afar I hear the whispers of the farmers in their khets,
And the birds do sing a song so grand.
The waves return each second to kiss the shore,
The wind carries her scent with each gaanv she blows in.
The forests are roaring their mighty roars,
But the birds’ voices are slowly like a din.
And then, a sudden disturbance occurs.
A slight crack and this perfect picture shatters
A fragile heart by whom a promise has been broken.
Like an infectious disease it spreads until every heart beats no longer,
And the birds’ tunes are just being spoken.
Humanity, burst these bubbles surrounding you,
And see what lies ahead as clear as day.
Beneath me now sits the gray tombstones of the past,
And the birds’ voices are breaking as they look down at the trafficked roads of Bombay.
Factories give more, and more, and more,
Our thirst is synonymous with disaster.
Can’t you see the farmer weeping?
Can’t you hear the birds have stopped their laughter?
Can you smell the wind’s scent anymore?
The scorching heat is all that resides.
The ignorance we display when we cannot go on a simple walk outside,
And those birds that have flown away with the tides.
Can’t you hear the polluted ocean’s despair as it calls out your name?
While standing on the hazel sand gifted to us by Mother Earth?
The sand in her timer is slowly running out and it’s all because of the aadmi,
The birds have forgotten what their forest was once worth.
Those people on the streets I desire to see once again,
Because their beauty is slowly escaping my mind.
I would’ve stayed longer if I knew that was the last time my feet would touch the soil,
And the last time the birds would sing for mankind.
For my innocence had never imagined there would be a finish line,
And that it was the society around me that would undo the bliss.
They have the same eyes, the same smile, the same hands as me,
But a different heart because I would never celebrate this.
This greed and need is parching the ground beneath us,
Can’t you see its battle scars and hear its cries for plea?
Hurting the true soldiers of our nation,
This war brings bad harvests for the farmers of our country.
The farmer comes home to his kids,
With no crop to fill his hands again.
The rain has failed to greet him once more,
Now it is simply his kids greeting him with ‘why?’, ‘what?’, ‘when?’
Can’t you hear my trembling voice telling you to wake up?
The soil underneath our feet is parched and burning.
The ocean’s healing power is slowly losing its touch,
But aadmi is still not learning.
Aadmi is the beast- this earth the beauty,
But this fairy tale has a different end;
For this rose’s petals have all fallen off,
This ruptured world cannot be mend.
Wake up! I scream once more,
And do something before it is too late.
Save these beautiful forests and stop your gasses,
It is the only way to wipe this slate.
And soon, the finish line will look a little different
The roars of the forests will echo,
And the rain will return to their home.
The wind will spread her love in every gaanv,
And once more the people will roam.
Reflection
After researching about the impact of climate change, I was surprised to see the prominent effect on India’s birds. Their migratory patterns are disturbed due to climate change, and it also leads to a loss of habitats due to which they need to seek shelter elsewhere. India is known for its diverse range of fauna, which is slowly going extinct or getting displaced due to man, or ‘aadmi’ in Hindi. Furthermore, the poem also talks about farmers, who form the backbone of our nation. Their harvests are not taking place properly due to the irregular rain patterns. It is leading to loss of jobs and food. I believe these are two side effects of climate change that are not talked about enough, especially for a country such as India, which celebrates its diverse species and farmers alike. Which is why I urge readers to see and read these uncommon concepts and understand the plight of the hidden soldiers of India. The poem includes a few hindi words as well, such as gaavn(village), and khets(fields), along with aadmi(man), which is also the title of the poem, as man is the main cause of climate change. Our need for consumption, and India’s excessive traffic in places such as Bombay and Delhi are all contributing factors.