We breathe your air

and let your breeze kiss us

and be blown back by your wind

or propelled forward

We drink your water

and let your rain fall on us

and let your downpour soak us

to the bone,

if we so want

We walk on your earth

and build our houses

on your solid ground

That holds us like loving hands

We seek shelter from the hot sun

under the leaves of your shady trees

and eat the fruit that ripens on them,

while we listen to the song of the birds

that perch or nest on the branches

We swim, splash

and let our feet dangle in your lakes and ponds

or explore the length of your rivers

and the beauty of their banks

But… we blow toxic gases into your air

from the chimneys of our factories

and exhaust pipes of our cars

We pollute your streams,

your rivers, your oceans,

we spit in your waters

We pollute your meadows and your forests

with our thoughtlessly discarded rubbish,

we set fire to your primeval forests

out of greed for profit,

we destroy our own homes

for the sake of money…

For just over a hundred years

we have behaved like naughty children to you, Mother,

we have forgotten what consideration, empathy and respect for nature,

for our fellow human beings, and for life itself mean

You have always and generously nourished and sustained all creatures,

but now you are “educating” us by making us feel the consequences of our deeds

with full force,

by showing us

how infinitely small and weak we are

without expecting us to learn

from our mistakes…

Basically, you don’t care

whether we survive or not,

because you’ll keep on existing without us…

You do not need us.

Marcos Vieira, 2021