The outpouring revolves around the pandemic, and the manner in which we have taken nature for granted.
Play outside the rules and suffer the consequences.
Chalk Lines
The Planet is nature’s playground
Her chalk lines, are
The ice caps, the mountains,
The rivers, the seas, the oceans
The air above the earth below.
In her boundless generosity
She shares with mankind
Her playground.
She made no rules,
No referees, no teams
She simply said “Go Play”.
Oh! The ‘games’ we played
We made our own rules.
Damn! Own rules?
Each team had their own.
We were, or we thought
We were the masters
And outside the chalk lines
We began to play.
It became an endless game
Of death and destruction.
Every rule was broken
The plundered, prizes
We awarded to ourselves.
Became the tear soaked
Trophies of tomorrow
Nature the Master of balance
The Mother of purpose
Has not created anyone unequal
We chose, we created we destroyed
And now, perilously swing
From and unbalanced
And wildly swinging scales
We hang on, barely
As we stare into the abyss
We hear the wails of countless voices
Soak in the tears of a million eyes
And a million more of unseen
And unsaid good byes.
Nature, will never blow that ‘Whistle’
She will simply say
“Play On”
The poet, William Richmond Marbaniang, is a 1975 batch IPS officer, who retired as the Director-General of Meghalaya Police.