INTRUDERS

         
    “ We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”                                                                          – Immanuel Kant

                

                                                          

               

                      1)         We drive them off from their dwelling place

                                  Depriving them of their living ways ;

                                  Deforesting their land to barren tract

                                  To build huge factories with selfish thought.

                      2)         Our fences powered with electric shock

                                  Our boundaries equipped with gates and locks ;

                                  Stronger nets and traps ready we keep

                                  To capture beasts that cross , dig trenches deep.

                      3)         We poison their hungry stomachs to kill

                                   We chase them to death with monstrous thrill ;

                                   Not a single puddle of water we spare

                                   Ev’n if they die with thirst we never care.

                      4)         Our homely fowls and beasts we greedily feed

                                  With harmful chemicals to get more yield ;

                                  To strange diseases they fall a prey

                                   We kill them swift – to hide our faults—an easy way.

  

                       5)        We will not let them live in peace

                                   Indulge in cruel sports with savage ease ;

                                   We shout as they fight to their last breath ;

                                    We bet our treasure as they bleed to death.

                       6)         We mutilate their limbs and breed them rude

                                   To goad their brutal strength in mutual feud ;

                                    Whipping and stabbing with devilish delight

                                    As they rage mad with fury—a pitiable plight.

                       7)         In mad pursuit of power and pelf

                                   We lose our goal and innate self

                                   We kill wild beasts for feathers,nails and skin

                                   Transgressing Nature’s laws--- a grievous sin.

                       8)        Struggling to survive in forests bare

                                   Finding scarce food and water everywhere

                                   When they enter our gardens and rich farms

                                   As suffering victims, we raise alarm.

                       9)        We pack them tight cramped in gloomy cells

                                   In narrow cages worse than hottest hell ;

                                   Wishing for death they strive and cry in vain ;

                                   Thrown like lifeless garbage with gross disdain.

                      10)       The teeming wealth of forests do we steal

                                   We never care about wild creatures’ weal ;

                                   Where will they run to satisfy their needs /

                                   Precious species became extinct ; who ever heeds?

                      11)       We deck our homes with their skins,horns and quills

                                   We flaunt smooth purses,bags and shoes with thrill ;

                                   Our pates we fill with their blood and tasty meat ;

                                    Have we thought of their dwindling numbers at least ?

                      12)       Let them roam free breathing natural air

                                  Their right to live, don’t seize – not fair ;

                                  They add color and beauty to sylvan charm

                                   Even gods love them--- no destructive arms.

                      13)       Like lifeless tools we torture them to find

                                  New drugs and  cures for diseases of mankind ;

                                   What pain and agony to innocent souls in sooth

                                   An unjust barbarous way to unravel truths.

                      14)       As their species vanish from universe

                                  We face our doom, irretrievable curse ;

                                  We broke the chain in Nature’s domain

                                  Our cruel acts rebound—beware – none can restrain.

                     15)       What rights have we to meddle or intrude?

                                 What laws make us act so devilish and rude?

                                 Let us wake up ere fatal end we meet

                                 With love and mercy our fellow creatures treat

                       

                                ****************************************************

              5th July,2018                                                    Somaseshu Gutala

     Note :  In this poem “Intruders” I tried to focus readers’ attention on the impending catastrophe to our existence due to indiscriminate destruction of forests and wild life. Nearly 80% of forests have already been destroyed for various reasons. Nearly 50% of forest species have become extinct and by 2020, nearly 20% of species will become extinct. At present only 21% of forests remain. This spells a huge disaster to animals and plants since 80% of plants and animals live in forest surroundings. Nearly 20,000 types of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction.  We will lose bio-diversity and ecological balance in nature which will have adverse impact on our lives also.

Many beautiful animals like the Tasmanian tiger, the African antelope, the Indian bustard, the west African black Rhino, the Pangolin, the red panda, cheetah and Himalayan quails have been wiped out of existence. Many marine fish and animals are also on the verge of extinction due to indiscriminate fishing in seas and rivers aIn North Pacific Ocean more than half a million whales have been killed. Nearly 80% of marine creatures like sea-lions, harbor seals, fur seals and otters have been destroyed.  A day may come when even common birds like sparrows, crows and swallows may vanish from this world. Let us not be too cruel to make other fellow-creatures extinct just to satisfy our perverted ambitions and greed.

 Out of unrestrained greed and egoistic pleasure man goes on destroying wild life and will not spare even domestic animals and birds. Though we call ourselves civilized, the barbaric treatment of animals still continues. In the name of scientific experiments many innocent animals and birds are subject to indescribable torture and cruel treatment. Still we find immense pleasure in bull-fights and cock-fights. We cudgel them to win the race just to gain our bet. We mutilate their limbs and brand them with hot iron rods and starve them to provoke them to fight. For visual delight we cage them in narrow space and make them slaves snatching away their freedom in the jungle. We kill them to procure their colorful feathers, attractive skins and precious tusks.  We feed them unnatural chemical foods to make them yield more milk and meat to satisfy our sensual desires.

 If any herd of elephants or wild pigs encroach into our fields we feel very much upset and call them intruders. But by what name should we be called who forcefully occupied their habitats and drove them away even depriving them of their food and water sources?  By what name should we be called who take away their freedom and their right to live ?

 Has god created man with reason just to destroy His own creation without any restraint? In destruction of our fellow-creatures we are also heading towards our own doom. Let us strive to be kind and merciful and make ourselves worthy to be called as humans who live in harmony with Nature and protect this God-given creation at least for our own survival.

 Out of unrestrained greed and egoistic pleasure man goes on destroying wild life and will not spare even domestic animals and birds. Though we call ourselves civilized, the barbaric treatment of animals still continues. In the name of scientific experiments many innocent animals and birds are subject to indescribable torture and cruel treatment. Still we find immense pleasure in bull-fights and cock-fights. We cudgel them to win the race just to gain our bet. We mutilate their limbs and brand them with hot iron rods and starve them to provoke them to fight. For visual delight we cage them in narrow space and make them slaves snatching away their freedom in the jungle. We kill them to procure their colorful feathers, attractive skins and precious tusks.  We feed them unnatural chemical foods to make them yield more milk and meat.

 Has god created man with reason just to destroy His own creation without any restraint? In destruction of our fellow-creatures we are also heading towards our own doom. Let us strive to be kind and merciful and make ourselves worthy to be called humans who live in harmony with nature and protect this God-given creation at least for our own survival.

  “ If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence         is from injury to animals.”

   “ Until we stop harming all other living things, we are still savages.”--       -- Thomas A. Edison.

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