Tragedy of Comedy
Haldwani, India
2022, Senior, Poetry & Spoken Word
When Mother Earth writes a Comedy,
it isn’t a pie-to-the-face sequence,
it is a sea-to-the-doorstep fiasco.
When she makes a joke,
it isn’t hurtful to a certain race
Nah, it is larger. It is the whole of mankind.
When she produces a sitcom,
there are no three-camera setups.
No fancy lighting. No expensive sets.
It is a straight-up reality show:
‘Who wants to be a Deadman’
‘Keeping Up Sinking down with
(insert random Small Island Nation natives)’
When Earth writes a wingman,
it isn’t a naïve stranger with barely three lines
it is the ensuing land erosion after a major flood,
it is the rapid extinction after a wildfire,
it is the heat waves after a dry spring.
When you air ‘Fuck the Earth: Sixth Mass Extinction
on Developed Nations Network,’
the Earth produces her own sequels:
‘All of us are you will be dead’
Her own ‘Hungry Games: The Famines’
Her own ‘The end of the f***ing world’
(PS: it’s still a dark unapologetic comedy)
Yeah, she is so funny. She’s won all Oscars
and she slapped the Comedian on the stage too!
Apparently, he was joking about her Biodiversity.
Can’t wait for the memes to flood in.
Anyway, you get the gist. Climate
change is a joke. A tragic Comedy-
Shakespeare-level. No even better.
It is a two ‘to’ act play. But there are no intermissions.
Just, a final silence.
Just, a final smirk. And a lone applause.
Reflection
Reflection
In India, we regard the Earth as our mother. We revere her for she is all-bearing, benevolent, and the eternal provider. As beautiful as these definitions and connections are, they still underestimate the Earth's violent, destructive face. We rarely think of the Earth as a living creature with a temper and emotions of anger and revenge. We assume that our deeds, although morally wrong, will bear no resentment from Mother Earth herself. Why? Because she is patient. Because we are her children. In this poem, I have attempted to paint Mother Earth in a different light. Not as a provider, a victim, or a patient onlooker of human (mis)deeds, but as a normal person. A person who feels pain, who seeks to undo what is wrong and take a stand against indiscriminate exploitation. Using references and wordplays, I have presented the Earth's seemingly playful responses to the manmade climate crisis. The inspiration to write this poem unapologetically came from the crisp narration in the British dark comedy, The End of the F***cking World. It ignited a desire in me to portray the Earth in this unorthodox manner, daring to present her as the writer of a dark comedy that ends with the end of humanity (last stanza). Through this poem, I wish to convey to the readers that the Earth, if provoked and destroyed beyond a certain limit, can turn on us. Our lifeblood—rivers, forests, oceans, and mountains—are the foundations of our existence, but when we damage them, we inevitably weaken our entire world. Comedy can turn into tragedy, especially when the mighty Mother Earth is the writer.