As the recycle bin was being emptied, a 18 month calendar of 2021 fell outside the dumpster,right on me. My eyes went straight to the cover picture where the “Month” name almost sneered at me – Beautifully caligraphed with picture of Shamrock leaves all over reminded me that the calendar picture was from St Patrick’s Month- March 2022.
My mind went back two years to the same month.A month which otherwise heralded happiness with colors and advent of Spring- turned into a month of panic, uncertainties and prelude to harrowing times to be followed. A month which changed modern mankind.
I suddenly found immersed in an exhilarating feeling -one fine morning the breeze from the east seemed extra sweet, fresher than ever before. I looked up and I smiled in silence at my own beauty – the tranquility of the clear blue. I rejoiced at the rhythm of freedom at my own freewill and transparency of my flow.The soft sweet fragrance of flowers and the gleaming colors embellished me even more.
Yes I was happy – very happy. My happy spell kept on growing. However the tears, grieving moans,hearses from different corners interrupted my contented conscience.
Days changed to weeks; weeks to months;with months dragging to even year. Yet the tears continued even fiercely from everywhere.
The sadness around me was overwhelming and the incessant sufferings of millions of humans from every nook and corner filled me up with despair and an unknown feeling of grief?
Millions cried and sought forgiveness from me-they prayed for redemption, asking for respite. Girls,boys,men,women old and young from all parts celebrated one day in my honor.
They sang, recited and celebrated the day hailing me –
“Save the earth”
“Save the nature”
” Save the environment “
I felt at peace and contended. Amidst this tremendous flux of grief, I found the humans around being much kinder to me.I appreciated that though late but mankind was making all conscious efforts to mend for all the phyiscal and psychological wounds inflicted on me for thousands of years.
I am a seasoned mother-a mother of 7.9 billion people of varying ages,colors,religions and traits.I couldn’t endure to see the sufferings of my children for so long.In the process, humankind with their unbeatable intellect & unparalleled dilligence found a cure to the omen which engulfed life over the last two years. Even with the (cure) as I heard being named as Vaccines – the balance between life and death oscillated both ways. However , I was glad to see my humans being gradually ready to acclimatize to the new way of life after the cure came into existence.
And just at a time,when I thought that all the humans had actually kept their words of redefining themselves and leading their life with their renewed committment towards me, something else happened.
Only ten days back,in the wee hours of the morning,I woke up to find engulfed in smoke, fire and debris all over me.And then I saw children,mothers with babies in arms,men in pajamas running all over me,in different directions. A prominent shadow of fear had an overpowering grip on everybody’s faces. I was aghast as I looked all around me, over me. I was stained with this dark stale red color all over. It was grim and mercilessly sad.
And the bloodbath which had started a day earlier continued to get fiercer by the minute.Loud sirens,fire,smoke,burning flesh had spread all around me. The days and nights started to get ferocious every minute.
The stinging sharpness of every mothers’ wails, the incessant frightful sobs,darkness intercepted by periodic bomb blasts overwhelmed my core. The hapless displacement of all families, helplessness of thousands of innocent lives and bloodbath all around me left me totally heartbroken and miserable.
My once embellished beautiful surface looked so scarred and trampled hard.The rancid smell of death seeping through the walls,to the fields over the flower beds filled up my mind with a strong dissent. I was nauseous and provoked to muse deep and even deeper.
The question which lingered on in my mind and haunted me deep inside was-was this what my offsprings- my humans prayed for over the last two years? Was the earnest prayer for respite from the deadly onslaught of the killer disease to live and lead peaceful , harmonious lives or to engage in the ferocious battle of power to kill and get killed?
I realized that I still failed to understand my children-i.e the reason behind all prayers for respite from death of the deadly disease in order to gain strength and rejuvenate lives to ultimately destroy and snatch the Human Clan from my lap ?
So the question why did the humans want to flee from the deadly clutch of the pandemic,to live and finally destroy everything they had and finally get obliterated from my scarred surface- kept pondering in my mind. The answer to which I am still looking for and I have none…
And today as this embarks the eleventh day since all the deadly battle had started -I look for gleams of hope,of bright smiles and the verdant plush of the fields with spring colors –
A day when the dark crimson from my body would be colored back with beautiful hues, shades of love,laughter and life. Yes I dream of such times….
“… You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one”
