I had just come from space to this wonderful place
to see all the things here to see.
Your oceans so deep and mountains so steep
left quite an impression on me.
Your great forests of green and blue lakes so serene,
Flowers of auburn, pink, crimson, cerulean…
All your creatures so small and others real tall.
And the largest ones live in the ocean.
Your world has abundance (you have what you need).
As my planet and I once did too.
With your pyramids strong and a wall oh so long,
I had high hopes I’d learn much from you.
You see… where I’m from, we’re sad recalling what we had
And the missteps we took till we lost it.
We believed we were best and cared less for the rest,
Thought Nature should fend for itself then.
We pursued our own greed with increasing speed,
Although warnings came time and again.
Focused short-term, not long; just to keep profits strong.
Discouraged facts we feared might have persuaded.
Burning rivers and droughts did not cause enough doubts;
Melting Ice caps and Floods weren’t convincing.
Desert growth, Acid Rain didn’t cause enough pain,
Nor Mass Die-Offs, Wildfires or Erosion.
Hurricanes and grey smog… sadly, the list? It goes on…
None tumultuous or frequent enough.
To wrest more folks from slumber, diminish the number
Of those whose sole goal in life was more stuff.
All along there were some who just knew it.
We failed to listen… Fair to say we just blew it.
Those voices too small, sadly could not forestall
Devastation brought to us by our greed.
Rather than harness our increasing knowledge,
Innovation and technologies…
We were conceited, we competed and depleted our planet
and destroyed all our land, air, and seas.
I came to your place from far out in space
Where we struggle each day for survival
Seeking refuge? Ideas? a fresh start (second chance);
In short what I sought was revival.
While it may have been wishful to think it…
I’d been convinced that your kind would be different.
But, observing awhile, sensed a similar style.
Your behavior? Like ours: Unrepentant.
Having come all this way you’d imagine me down
To conclude that you don’t have a clue.
But the truth is my friend, there’s no “Elsewhere” around.
That’s why I’m determined to help you.
You look at me strange as you gather your thoughts
Then you ask me “Well… why should I care?”
“Well, because…” reply I, “we’ve a large task ahead…
…which requires that we each do our share.”
You just stand there and stare. You don’t blink, you’re transfixed.
Then you demand “Well then… why should I trust you?”
“You don’t have to.” I offer… “I’m just trying to help…”
“to bring change which is… well… Overdue…”
Copyright 2013 Weylan Tiankong