Tag: nature

Utter desolation

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment

16/05/25

How the wind blows!
How the heat grows!
How evil festers!

Every delightful dish
Every mouthwatering speciality
Every tasty treat

Available from your fingertips…

And yet,

Not enough to feed
Not enough to quench
Not enough to save

Those babies.

Who has caused this famine?

Global warming?
Climate chaos?
Sometimes…

But this time,

Wolves remain unblemished
Waves of heat remain peaceful
Wisps of wind remain unchained

Our hands must be blamed.

Indifference
Carelessness.
Reckless hate

You and me
Them and us
All of us.

How can we eat?
How can we drink?
How can we waste?

When babies are silently dying of hunger.

Where are you my brother?
Where are you my sister?
Where am I lost?

Must our hands remain chained
Must our brains remain dazzed
Must our soul remain weighed

By our own lingering hell?
This greed inducing machine!

Unabling us to act righteously
Distracting us from thinking morally
Preventing us from feeling compassion.

If all the chaos settled
If all the roar faded
If all those screens dimmed…

I must believe that

We would stand as one
We would rise as one
We would cry as one :

Not in our name
Not in our watch
Not in our lifetime.

No more.

Didn’t we say it before?

Never again.

The wind scatter frail buds
The heat weakens old barks
Evil feasts deep from the roots.

Leaving desolation

Where a tall forest stood
Where a lush forest grew.
Where a deep forest grew.

Desolation.

Razed to the ground.
Bulddozed into dust.
Flatten beyond recognition.

Utter desolation.

Why do you ask me which tree?

All are linked
As we all are.

All are part of the world
As we all are.

All are spreading
As we all are.

One falls
And we all fall.

And yet,

I feed my baby until she sleeps.
I eat until my stomach is filled.
Even my cat is content…

While those babies starve,
In complete indifference.

Utter Peace

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment

30/10/22

My birds wake at dawn
My birds vanish at sunset
My birds flit by all day.

Their each have their voice
They each have their song
They each have their dreams

Have you heard them?
Have you seen them?
Have you followed them?

By those lonely city trees
Through those sleepy bushes
In those wavering woods.

Follow them
Follow them we must.

Follow them
Follow them you must

Follow them
Follow them till the end

Of this winding way
Of this spiralling way
Of this rising way.

Through the ages
Through the vales
Through the day.

My birds are calling me
My birds are delighting me
My birds are beckoning me

For another dance
For another song
For another adventure.

Come, come, they say.
Fly, fly, they say.
Sing, sing, they say.

You won’t lose your way
this time.

You won’t fall
this time.

You won’t lose your voice
This time.

How they brave the wild winds
How they endure this strange weather.
How they flourish in the city wilderness.

Indomptable
Unstoppable
Unforgettable.

Delicate wings
Sweet voices
Light gait

But how far they fly!
But how long they strive!
But how long they sing!

Dear winged drops of hope
Dear feathered dew of dreams
Dear tinkling chords of prayers

I am grateful that you exist

Yet,

These birds do not belong to me.

They belong to the trees
They belong to themselves
They belong to Our Creator.

Utter freedom.
Utter beauty.
Utter peace.

Discarded to grow

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment
19/12/21
Every day,
a bird would gently chirp.

Every day,
the vine would quietly grow.

Every day,
feathers would garner my path.

It wasn’t much,
But it was enough.

Enough to make me smile
Enough to make me sing
Enough to make me hope.

A hope full of feathers,
A hope full of greenery,
A hope full of songs…

And nights full of prayers.
And nights full of dreams.
And nights full of longings.

It was enough,
But it wasn’t much.

On a twig,
I built a castle.

On a feather,
I built a ship.

On a song,
I built a whole life.

Words were enough,

To make me believe.
To make me trust.
To make me his.

And yet, those words were

like a hollow bark,
like a fallen branch,
like a sunken root.

Untrue,
Unholy,
Unreliable.

And I fell deep into the hole

Like a lost feather
Like  a crushed leaf,
Like a forgotten acorn.

That pain in my chest,
That sinking pain within,
That crushing pain pouring forth,

All bursting my shell…

And thus I was left,
And thus I was forgotten,
And thus I was planted.

There are darker months ahead,
There are frozen months ahead,
There are silent months ahead,

But they are necessary.

For the acorn to burst 
For the seed to reach,
For the seedling to stretch,

To find a new spring.

Let it be,
Let it go,
Let it flow…

I am but a seed
I am but a hope,
I am but a wish

And You are my sun,
And You are my creator,
And You are my protector,

You will keep me safe.
You will keep me growing.
You will keep me glowing.

Safely under Your care.

From the rising star

~ Layla ~ 1 Comment 
It takes more than bitter frost,
To uproot an oak tree.

It takes more than cruel winds,
To pull down a briar rose.

It takes more than acidic rain,
To poison a daisy.

But it doesn’t take much,

To brush off a ghost,
To pull away a weed,
To burn off a bridge.

If you ever look over your shoulders,

You will see…

A star piercing through the night
A nightingale flying through the storm,
A tree reaching for the infinite beyond.

You will see

Something you can never be.
Something you can never have.
Something you can never keep.

Something,

So free,
So feral,
So fierce…

That it will burn off your eyes.

Eyes that lie
Eyes that hide
Eyes that stray.

Well the, by all means, stray…

Take that path to the pit.
Take that path to the ridge.
Take that path to the distance.

I will keep the gems
in the pebbles you gave me.

I will keep the truth,
in the lies you gave me.

I will keep the smile,
in the tears you gave me.

And I will rise higher,

Than the mountains you claimed to love
Than the stars you claimed to love,
To God that you claimed to love.

And shine brighter,

in His Love
in His Peace
In His Protection.

How far will you bear that heavy conscience you carry?
How far will you bear that heavy stone heart you carry?
How far will you bear that heavy lie that you carry?

I hope,
I pray,
I say,

You will find peace
You will find truth
You will find solace,

Within yourself.

And grow,
And glow,
And go…

To be a better man.

Last days of January

~ Layla ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday’s snow is trickling.
Yesterday’s ice is crumbling.

I can smell Spring in the air.
I can feel Winter in the air.

Four squirrels
jumping to and fro.

Three sparrows,
Hopping to and fro.

One robin.
singing to and fro.

And that wild cat with golden eyes.

Fearless in the forest.
Fearful the the garden.

Is it still Winter,,
Or Spring is back?

I will know once the sun sinks in sorrow.

Is it sorrow or is it fortitude?

All hearts must melt,
Heart of snow under the sun.

All hearts must melt,
Hearts of stone in the sun.

Melt,
Trickle,
Drip.

And spring will be back.

But the wind blows,
and blows the chime
and blows in the chimney

Those who are blind,

Believe there is only death in Winter.
Believe trees are bare in Winter.
Believe the forest is silent in Winter.

yet,

It’s only when the foliage has scattered.
It’s only when the roots are covered
It’s only when the fields are covered

that you can truly see.

The many birds perched on high,
The many mushrooms nestled deep,
The many wild footprints around the pond.

Snow cover and reveal.
Falling leaves reveal and cover.

Truth is always seen by the innocent gaze.

Let Winter sing a last icy lament,
For, the birds of Spring are already vocalizing.

How many dark days
Must endure?

Soon,
Very soon…

A hopeful thrill will herald the return of violets.