On Her Day, Gaia Wails

Great mother of all
on her day, she wails.

A crude joke, heavenly gods
left her clutching ungrateful offspring
her ample bosom ravaged.

Whoa! She cautions
milk supply is insufficient
to feed the ever-growing numbers.

Nipples cracked and bleeding
gaping maw continues
to suck her dry.

Be merciful to the innocent:
rocks, clouds, streams, glaciers
and all creatures that partake
for survival.

Gaia generous in nature
bellows refusing to be abused
by the amused.

On her day, she wails
for anyone with ears
to hear her cries.

Khaya Ronkainen
Khaya Ronkainen is a writer, poet and creative professional. Her blog focuses on all things poetry and creative nonfiction.

36 Comments

  1. Very very powerful piece…brought a lump to my throat…a stifled cry for her pain XXX

  2. It’s difficult to read this without blinking the shine that brightens the eyes a few times. The imagery rips tiny pieces for the hear… We are killing the one who birthed us, and too many of us don’t even know it. So very sad… and infuriating.

  3. Perhaps, one day her cries won’t fall on deaf ears. I believe changing even small things in our lifestyles could make a huge difference.♥

  4. A powerful poem, Khaya. Sometimes I think we will finish her off, but in truth, I think we will finish ourselves off first. She’ll recover and flourish and be beautiful for billions of years without us.

  5. Thank you Kathy for your encouraging comment. It’s all I ask for us to ‘stop and think’. Somethings are beyond our individual power but some are not, hopefully we can help protect the environment, where we can.

  6. You are so right Diana, at the rate we’re going ‘we will finish ourselves off first’. But I’m hopeful too that she’ll recover and flourish. Thank you for reading!

  7. So heartbreaking yet so powerful. Why can’t we see that destroying the planet we in turn are meeting our own destruction–sad.

  8. This is just heartbreaking. All of the stupidity and shortsightedness that got us to this point is terrifying.

  9. So angry, and with her I bellow, yet the deafness and greed of those bleaching and pillaging every last treasure she has until she, and their profits dry up, is astounding… We need to be louder! Great post!!!!!

  10. The world we live in today is brutal, think of all the abuse for monetary gains. The list could go on forever. Thanks Sharon for reading!

  11. This is what one of my fellow bloggers, D. Wallace Peach had to say about winning against a ‘Big Energy’ that wanted to run a massive gas pipeline through their town, “What we do has the power to persuade, to stir emotions, to record the truth in black and white.” It pretty much sums up how ordinary voices can make a difference. Thanks Shelle for reading!

  12. Your word’s are cutting edge sharp and plants vivid images in the mind. Hope you will find time to step in for my blog party today. It just started ?

  13. Hi KC! Thank you so much for your kind and supportive comment. Best comment to read first thing in the morning, and it will carry my smile throughout the day. 🙂

  14. I love the poem. Thanks for reading my post, ‘The Snake and the Lion’.

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