Mother Earth, Heal Thyself

I rubbed my eyes open, it was all dark and cold. Just a while longer, someone whispered beside me. I noticed someone just like me, we were both green, thin, and delicate. I realized we were growing taller every day until I hit a hard surface. Push, I heard him again and we did. We pushed open the rocky earth and emerged into the warm sun.

I squinted in the bright light, it felt wonderful. Warm and sunny, in fact, I could see. Many thin green ones like me, some taller ones, broader ones, and then there were huge brown towers like giants, with greens on their heads.

“Hey, little sapling.” A big guy called out to me. “Welcome. Not too long until you look like me!”

“Shh…How can you be so sure?” the big guy’s friend retorted. “ We are so close to their roads, within moments he’ll fall ill, coughing and inhaling toxic gases. Or worse they’ll mow him down. We are the few lucky ones to have grown this far. So don’t give him false hopes.”

“Who are they? Why would they kill me?” I was afraid now.

“The humans! They murder millions of us every day, to build their roads, their buildings, for their commercial greed. We choke all the time on their industrial wastes…”

Another one cut in, “ They wouldn’t survive a moment without us, we provide them with oxygen all our lives. And this is how they repay us, ungrateful idiots.” I stood there sullen, all my initial excitement gone. 

“Hey, why the long face? You are lucky. I can’t see them much these days. Their noisy vehicles are pretty much off the roads.” A bigger plant commented.

As all others nodded in unison, the biggest tower-like plant, whom they called a tree spoke in a deep baritone, “ I can’t see any of them for miles, on this road or on the road far away. It’s deserted everywhere. I overheard them, they are terrified to venture out, there’s some disease spreading it seems.”

“Good riddance”, a grass shoot spoke. “ Let them know what it’s like to be scared for your life, what betrayal tastes like.”

“Yes. May them remain indoors forever.” Everyone else, including me, chimed in.  

“ Hushh…” the big tree roared. “ All my life, I’ve only wished well, for them, for all. I hope they get well soon. But then, let’s pray, while they are locked down, they realize how they wronged us and how they plundered nature. I wish this pandemic brings them back to their senses, teaches them to slow down a bit and let our mother, their mother, the mother that endures all pain in the universe, mother earth, to rest and heal.”