Karen L. Oberst - Poetry - Lament for the Earth

Lament for the Earth
by Karen L. Oberst

Our pastor challenged us to write a lament for the Earth as part of her series on stewardship. Here is my offering.

"For the beauty of the Earth," we sang.
And the Earth is beautiful - at least where I live.
Trees and flowers, birds and butterflies.
And a canal that reflects their glory back to them.

Could I sing this song if I lived on the Gulf Coast?
Black blobs on the beach, ecosystems ruined
Oil-covered pelicans, pyres of sea turtles
Dead zones in water; air not fit to breathe.

Could I sing it in Afghanistan - or other war-torn places?
Suicide bomber spreading terror and death.
American drones killing innocents - and innocence.
Land and people dying from the disease called war.

For the beauty of the Earth - soon to be a memory?
Geocide by greed, our mother ravaged, diseased, dying.
Easy to point fingers at the military-industrial complex,
But we are to blame.

All who want cheap gas.
All who want cheap food.
All who want cheap clothing,
Are the killers, the matricides.

For the beauty of the Earth…
For as long as it lasts.
Until we too die
Along with our mother.


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