Nature’s Distress
Kathmandu, Nepal
2024, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Mask is not a trend here
Years before the lockdown it starts
Smelling the fresh air equivalents
Decreasing life by few years
Propose some measures they encourage
Which at end they reject
Just because they have environmentally friendly cars
Doesn’t mean they support purification in the air
While some say they are trying
The statistics convey otherwise
Their “tries” of maintaining purity is a facade
That I have been trying to ignore
Their ventilated house does not know smoke
Their air conditioned office does not know the heat
This suffering hits me hard
A mediocre, middle class person
Here where rivers are poison
Smell compels me to close my window .
Flashbacks shows me those period
Where that Lethal was sublime
Once all these snowy mountains
sighted with thick vanilla frosting
Remain stale and naked
As heat unclothes its fur coat
Remember those days when lakes were filled with life?
It so far out of my sight now
Then crystal blue water, does not reveal its depth today
With only the corpse of marine life in disarray
Running and cycling is so western
This recommendation should be avoided here
Manifests more harm than good
Damaging my lungs till it matches the colour of wood
That thick dense forest near my house
Got forced to change its theme to a park
I write save trees in paper to celebrate environment day
It’s the sad truth of me, you and them
Once upon a time when wars happened
My city was targeted foreseeing its calmness
Now here everyone dreams to leave
How this beauty became a beast
Nostalgia of swirls of stars from my roof
It reminds me of all those memories that can’t be relieved
Yesterday these eyes did not catch the brightest star
Oh! Am I involved in giving earth this scar?
My story of nature was closure
These idyllic nature’s gift I forgot to appreciate
Now has turned into an ugly monster who harms me
Thought of dying from them haunts me
Without any support or back up i stand
I make small changes that can benefit
Oh dear leaders! Why don’t you get my story ?
Why do you and I have different version of living
Future will remember me for being a hypocrite for dear earth
But what I could do to pass the coal like lungs
My story of climate change is for ordinary lives
Who suffer quietly in this air
My view of climate change is shared by many
The constant help you and I try to offer
My story is for all the hopeless nature enthusiast
Who live save this picturesque sphere
Reflection
Writing this poem really raised some about of anger on the higher authorities and made me realize how other middle class people (like me) would be able to relate with these verses of words. Climate change is an effect of all the wars and formation of industries, while the humidity has increased significantly in recent years it is the effect of all the pollutions from beginning. While researching about it I came to realize how dangerous it is and how even very unnoticeable actions could contribute to it. As my contribution of curing climate change, I have a project with some other team mates (me as the president and leader) to plant trees around various places in the city. We have been making this possible by fundraising through making arts and tote bags from denim and selling them. My artwork talks about how you all can relate to my story of climate change in one way or another. I suffer along side you all to even find fresh air and because of this I want you all to take a stand along side me to reduce climate change. I want each viewer to be inspired by my verses.