a rhymed and metered poem
World Extinct
by Dawn Munro
World Extinct
The threshold has been breached and I can bear no more this day.
I sit and watch the street and traffic move along the way
in dread, anticipating, praying nevermore to see
another painful episode from which I cannot flee.
Too many real-life horrors for these eyes to witness now;
a lifetime of afflictions not a man can disavow.
My plea is never-ceasing, yet it seems it isn't heard;
not even for the Barn Owl, just a trusting, tiny bird.
My soul is bared to all the world, though tears have all been dried -
yet pain I've shouldered faithfully, I can no longer hide.
The limit of my tolerance, my love of fellow man
is tainted by the stench of death: not part of Heaven's plan.
This day is a reminder of the pain our Lord endured -
that even when He begged in prayer, His plea was never heard.
Why was He sent, why didn't God just simply set us free?
What secret did our Saviour share; why suffering for me?
The Father sent His only Son, to show how much He cares;
this proof to stop our sinning, so how is it that one dares
to live a life of selfishness, not following His path?
Are we so full of righteousness we do not fear His wrath?
The threshold has been breached today and I can bear no more,
and so I kneel and pray to God to heal a nation, sore.
The gang wars and pollution; these are killing more than bird!
What will it take before these pleas are ever, finally heard?
The world will face annihilation sooner than we guess
if we refuse to see the signs of catastrophic stress.
If we decide to heed the warnings, take complete control,
we'll always then define the praises nature will extol.
Author Notes
In Ontario, the common Barn Owl is on the endangered list, and hundreds of other birds are as well. But is a natural event brought about by our negligent attitude about global warning and all the other environmental concerns all that we have to fear?
Or is it, perhaps, an ever-growing scorn for the sanctity of life in general that is the real threat...
We need to nurture our world and each other; only then will we reap the benefits of harmony and balance.
Leonard Bernstein: "To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."
