DO MY CHILDREN UNDERSTAND?
Carmine Lombardo 1931 (ELIZABETH, NJ)
November 23DO MY CHILDREN UNDERSTAND?
Born from the womb of fire and ash
placed perfect, sublime -
brightened by the sun's rays
majestically reflected by a moon
on a lonely lake somewhere in the night
over eons of time in full bloom,
I became the gem of the universe -
crowned with beauty and grace
from within my crust to the outer reaches
of the horizon and the sky so high with life,
not one of my children could number.
It was theirs to enjoy, to care for,
a beautiful garden, their special gift,
but swift as their numbers grew
my children ceased to see
what I, their home, was meant to be.
Seasons of rebellion, the seed of greed
and the corruption scarred and pillaged my land
buried in mountains of garbage and plastic,
choked with billowing spirals of smoke and carbon,
my lungs, inflamed, made me burn,
weak and weary begging for a change
which uncontrolled caused me pain.
Stressed and strained, I became saddened
like a child whose lollipop dropped in the sand,
I tried; I cried in vain, but the pain got worse.
Only by the grace of I AM that curse did stop
by another, an invisible deadly plague shedding fear,
engulfed the breath of nations
once at enmity with each other to turn to each
as a brother for assistance to conquer the unknown.
Was it a command? Do my children understand?
Briefly relieved, they know I restore,
but I implore they heed my call
that for me to remain their care giver,
changes must be made -
create, innovate, listen, learn, reason, discern.
Hopefully, a new season will return.
About this poem
The tragic consequences of our world due to climate change demands changes to be made. My voice, void of fame, for the welfare of our children and future generations implores these changes be made. Poignantly, the personification of earth speaking draws the audience to its personality and lifesaving words.
Written on December 17, 2023
Submitted by carmine_l on November 10, 2023
- 1:29 min read
- 42 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXXXXXXBXXXC DXXEEXAXXFXX XABXXXXXADXCXFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,036 |
Words | 296 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 15 |
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"DO MY CHILDREN UNDERSTAND?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/175226/do-my-children-understand?>.
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