WHERE IS THE GREEN
Woke up one day and peered outside my window,
Steel towers and skyscrapers galore.
But between all the constructed structures,
Something was no more.
It’s supposed to be the monsoons,
But, nothing seems to be wet.
The mud seems dry and the sun is harsh,
How cruel can the weather get?
I admire the freshly tarred flyovers,
Running above the supermarkets adorned street.
But, through the stunning architecture,
All I felt was sweltering heat.
Airports are dazzling with interiors,
As I travel to other cities.
Wide areas of greens have been cut down,
To cater to corporate necessities.
From up in the air, I spot my city below,
Where my glorious childhood had been.
But now I only see the colours grey and brown,
Where once there were beautiful shades of green.
Photo by Brian Lazo
Where is the Green is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Mads’ Cookhouse.
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36 Comments
A very moving poem that captures the sad reality of our times.
The more I see of the city I live in the more this poem resonates with me. When I moved to Gurgaon in 97 there was so much green and now it is a concrete jungle- sad reality
A very hard-hitting poem. Progress does not mean we don’t leave any green belts but that is what is happening. It is sad that city authorities have to set rules for new house owners to plant trees.
Now this is one poem I could really relate to. It’s true that balancing a developed country and maintaining nature can be a challenge but I guess, those leading developed countries has learned their lesson early on and now have been more creative in balancing those two with focus on the nature side. Living here in Singapore for more than a decade now, how they do that balance must be one of the things I love the most about this city. It’s not only a progressive city but also a green one. Can you believe that I’ve trekked/hiked more nature parks/reservoirs in this little red dot than my home country which consists of 7k+ islands?!
Wow really?
This reflects the harsh truth of digitized corporate world we occupy. Wonder what we have really achieved other than saving tons of time (to do what?), creating health issues, taking away precious lives and earning tons of money (for what use?)
The huge cost we are paying for this exorbitant lifestyle we are building. Harsh truth but this is the reality. Beautifully penned down.
The vivid descriptions of the concrete jungle and the loss of greenery are powerful and thought-provoking dear. Your words serve as a powerful call to action for us to prioritize sustainability and balance in our pursuit of progress.
On point, Cindy. This is the cost of development and progress we have to bear. Have seen a lovely park close by converted into a high-rise. The city needs its oxygen belts.
Every lines of the poem is so true, and its an honest presentation of the reality. But thankfully I am residing in a society which is surrounded by greenary. Open the door and green trees will welcome you and yes my garden is also there to make me feel close to the nature. The poem deserves a round of applause.
This resonates with me so much Cindy. I am a Bangalore bred gal….. though people still say the city is green and the weather is great, it is no comparison to how it was during my childhood & teens. In the name of urbanization, we have killed the city & her resources. I guess this is true for most cities now.
I wrote this poem partly thinking of you and how you would say Bangalore was much much greener before all the tech parks and all came in. I can also see the change since I arrived a decade ago!
Harsh truth brought out so beautifully. We definitely need to conserve and preserve our planet if we want our future generations to have their chance.
Such a harsh realty of life! We are losing our greens behind the grey concrete jungle. Already there are so many places where the greens have been almost completely replaced with the concrete skyscrapers.
Something that we all see but a very few feel… ur one of them who feels. Nice poem Cindy very thoughtful and meaningful.
Thanks, Flavia!
Very touchy poem. Harsh reality. Everyone is chopping trees, mountains and even big open grounds are also used for construction. And irony most of the flats remain vacant. Don’t know when People Will understand the importance of greenary.
Good to remind us that if we don’t stop, we will be lviing with grey skies and barren times for a long time.
Hard truth to digest, we are scaling high but also going down in environment issues. The change is imperative when all work towards it collectively.
Staying in Bangalore for 2 decades now, I also get these thoughts and you have put so beautifully in your poem. This is the result of human ambition which has no limits. More than positive I see more of negatives now.
True, Swati. We should meet up!
Loved the poem!
I get these feelings way too often too🥺. You’ve put them in words in such a nice way Cindy.
Thanks, Kaveri!
Every word of the poem is hard hitting truth. Sadly humanity enjoys the concrete jungle but longs for greenery when there is a need. Loved the poem
This poem is way relevant for me now more than ever. We are suffering the perils of mass burning of plastic in the water management plant. I hope.the world will realise the need to go green soon
Ouch! Hope you all are okay, Rakhi!
This hit hard! Where is the green is the question our coming generations are going to ask if we go on like this, if we don’t take care of the mother nature now. Good one!
Thanks, Neha!
Loved the simple words and yet profound meaningful and well written poetic piece Cindy.
That’s a poignant and hard hitting one!! As cities become more developed and urbanized, the greenery and natural environs are disappearing… sad and harsh reality of our times.
This is the cost we pay for the glitz and glam of infrastructure development. We lose so much more when trees are cut down to make way for more homes for us.
A very stark and touching poem, Cindy. Deforestation is extremely sad. Sadhguru says in 50 years we won’t have ay soil left. I wonder how we will live. Everybody is chopping trees but not plANTING ANY.
I wonder, too, Harjeet!
This poem is simple but so poignant, Cindy! In our quest for development, we have denuded the earth of its green covers and we are facing the negatives of it too.
Sadly true, Preeti. Thanks for reading!
That’s the harsh and sad truth that for upgrading ourselves and for our growth we are cutting green plants and trees, but as a responsible human beings, we need to take care of our earth and environment. Loved the poem so much.