A letter to the children of tomorrow

Image from Reddit (r/Teeswi3s)

By Roger Chao

Dear Children of Tomorrow, in sorrowed verse we write,
To pen our deep apology beneath the failing light.
We’ve ravaged Eden’s gardens and scarred her innocent face,
And left a fractured legacy of greed’s unyielding pace.

Forgive us for the forests, where once the giants stood,
Their branches high and mighty, their roots of ancient wood.
We felled their lofty canopies, and silenced whispered dreams,
Their fallen forms now stories, adrift in muddy streams.

Once pure and sparkling rivers, now heavy, choked, and foul,
No longer sing with clarity, but moan a mournful howl.
Their crystal veins, once life itself, are tainted now with blight,
The shimmering scales of fish are gone, lost in endless night.

The oceans, vast and sapphire, with treasures held within,
Are tombs of plastic relics, borne of our careless sin.
Coral citadels, once resplendent, lie pale and cold as bone,
Their colours drained to silence, their teeming life now flown.

The air, once sweet with fragrance, from blossoms fresh and bright,
Now hangs a heavy curtain, a testament to plight.
The wind that sang through valleys green, now carries cries of pain,
A dirge of darkened futures, beneath a sky of stain.

In cities sprawling, concrete-clad, where nature’s breath is thin,
We built our towers to the skies, and drowned the wild within.
The whispering leaves of yesteryear, now whispers of the past,
Replaced by metal murmurs, in shadows deep and vast.

Creatures grand and humble, who walked this world beside,
Have vanished from the wilderness, swept away by tide.
The thylacine’s bark, the marl’s squeek, the tasman starling’s song,
Are echoes in the empty night, of what we’ve rendered wrong.

Mountains mined to hollowness, valleys deep and scarred,
Our insatiable appetite, left nature bereft and marred.
Glaciers pure, as ancient as the dawn of time itself,
Now weep into the oceans, their sorrow on the shelf.

For all these acts, we beg of you, forgive our blinded ways,
And listen to our earnest plea, in these twilight days.
Though the world we’ve handed over bears the marks of our neglect,
In your hands lies a future, that you can yet protect.

See the earth with reverence, its beauty in each form,
In every leaf and petal, where wonder is the norm.
Nurture the silent forests, let rivers run again,
And build a realm of radiance, where love and nature reign.

Embrace the ancient wisdom, that the earth does softly impart,
In the rustling of the branches, in the pulsing of its heart.
Guard the fragile sanctuaries, where wild things find their peace,
And in their freedom, find the song where human hearts release.

Let the oceans breathe again, with depths both bright and vast,
Heal the coral gardens, restore what we’ve surpassed.
Clear the skies of smog and smoke, let sunlight grace the land,
And cherish every creature, with a gentle, guiding hand.

In the sprawling fields of flowers, let bees and butterflies,
Paint the air with vibrant hues, beneath the open skies.
Plant trees that reach the heavens, their roots deep in the soil,
And find the joy in simple things, in honest, earnest toil.

Turn away from fleeting gold, and listen to the call,
For nature’s wealth is boundless, beyond the worth of all.
In every bird’s sweet melody, in every dew-kissed morn,
Lies a promise of a world anew, where harmony is sworn.

Learn from all our errors, let them be your guide,
Tread lightly on this precious earth, with each and every stride.
Hold every creature dearly, from the mighty to the small,
And in their quiet presence, find the greatest gift of all.

Rise with dawn’s first light, and greet the day with care,
For in your hands lies power, to make the world more fair.
With every seed you plant, with every tree you tend,
You leave a legacy of hope, where broken dreams can mend.

In fields where wildflowers bloom, let hope take root and grow,
In songs of rustling grasses, let your hearts forever know,
That though we’ve left you scars and pain, there’s still a way to mend,
To bring about a brighter dawn, where sorrow can now end.

So rise, dear future guardians, and heed this humble plea,
To forge a path of healing, to let the wild be free.
For though we’ve faltered, in our wake, there’s still a chance for grace,
In your hands, lies the power, to heal this sacred place.

With every step you take, may you walk with gentle feet,
And every path you choose, may it make the world complete.
For in your care and keeping, lies the promise of the earth,
A legacy of love and hope, a tale of endless worth.

So rise, dear children of the dawn, and let your spirits soar,
For in your hands lies the power, to heal and to restore.
Take this world we’ve given, with all its scars and pain,
And weave a brighter future, where love and hope remain.

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Roger Chao is a writer based in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, where the forest and local community inspire his writings. Passionate about social justice, Roger strives to use his writing to engage audiences to think critically about the role they can play in making a difference.

 

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7 Comments

  1. Beautiful writing, Mr Roger Chao.

    I too am grown from the dropped seed of recently transplanted rootstock (predominantly NW Euro ancestry) that happened to sprout here on Terra Straya.
    By immersing myself in understanding the existent ecology of the land of my birth, I have come to better accept myself through greater appreciation of my existential context, and gleaned understanding on how I can walk with lighter impact on the surrounding ecosystems that sustain my basic existence.

    Appreciate your work using your words to positively help others keep the faith,
    Corvus.

  2. Beautiful. Poignant.
    But thylacines didn’t bark. The only known vocalisation was a kind of high-pitched yip.
    (Yes, I know, not the place for pedantry.)

  3. A prayer and a plea for forgiveness if only more in our world would listen,
    can earth in her anger and sorrow make way for those who will follow?

    We can but hope. A fine poem Roger

  4. to the children who are here
    things are not as they appear
    do not just follow your ear
    to find a course to steer
    be strong enough to shed a tear
    but use your eyes to allay any fear
    for the world is beautiful to any see-er

  5. Yes, a fine poem Roger,

    We are fallible, we live and grow and learn and tally to be sure.
    And through science, to know, it seems much, except for what is life and memory and consciousness.
    After all the death and destruction wrought, it seems absurd, that like flailing before a mirror
    In such small time, through all inventions, we head for 10 billion, and yet it seems we will return
    Despite some strange hope and will, to where we were before
    Be it to an infant in the grass and mud and dust, or perhaps a hippy who sees existence a must.
    Do we chose the dreams that we imbue, upon each child that comes anew
    And go on doing whatever we do, climbing mountains to see the view
    Before returning to plan and plot and review
    All the art, our lot in life and love, and all the steps, we leave to you as much to do.
    Resigned to hope yet bolstered up –
    Do we?

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  1. A letter to the children of tomorrow – Equilibrion

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