Through the canopy and down the trunks
I swoop into the heart of the rainforest -
Musky mist meets moist mush.
I grab a fistful of earth, and listen -
A silent scream comes from within
The dusty wings of the butterflies,
The broken horns of the giant beetles,
The jaded eyes of the jaguar,
The muddy rivers meander through
Like veins - the bluish brown water
Deoxygenated -
Seek to replenish with life-giving gas, but
All of a sudden, another scream is heard
This time it sounds metallic,
Grinding, raging with vengeance,
Shearing through trunks
Loudly, dangerously.
From a distance
We feel no pain, until
It comes to plague us,
We pant and purge the air in our lungs
But dioxide meets monoxide,
Our faces turn blue,
Our eyes cloudy,
We do not see
The suffocating grip
We hold
On the lungs
Of
This
Earth.
