Thursday, February 2, 2012

After the Harvest: We'll all be gone!


Photo by Jim McIntosh.

Always before us
our ancestors wandered
roaming so freely
our wilderness home.
For millions of years
we could all walk together,
but man has destroyed them,
now all of that's gone.

Once we could wander
beyond highest mountain,
and across green savannah
we could all roam. 
There was a time
when we all walked together,
until man's exploitation has
destroyed our green home.

There are these rivers
that flow wide between us.
There are these oceans
of knowledge unknown.
If we could converse,
would you believe us?
How you've poisoned this Earth
that was once our green home.

And always before us
we rhino have wandered,
roaming so freely
in Nature's kingdom.
But now in this short time
as they gather vile treasures,
after the harvest
we'll all be gone.

Now we must flee
to hide beyond mountains.
And the green savannah,
no longer our home.
There was a time
we would all walk together
until we saw your reflection 
and could see what you've done.

Now we must flee
to hide beyond mountain.
Now we must flee
the poacher's chainsaw.
And now we must suffer
the cruellest of slaughter,
for the Chinese Medicine
they harvest our horn.

And after the harvest...
and after the harvest...
and after the harvest...
we'll all be gone.


Thanks to Ray Wylie Hubbard for the inspiration!
Can't find his "After the Harvest" on YouTube but this is a favourite also. 






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4 comments:

Unknown said...

Damn that was beautiful. Really great Jim, a wonderfully poignant was to speak to their slaughter.


http://jpweddingphotograpy.blogspot.com/2012/02/image-of-week.html

Jim said...

Thanks JIM. Sort of spilled out the other day when listening to Ray Wylie Hubbard.
Sad to see the changes taking place with wildlife in Africa.
All across Botswana, a huge country, they've erected ''veterinary fences'' which have killed off the other large migration in Africa. Several species numbers have plummeted because they've been cut off from dry season grazing or being able to get to waterholes.
But we tourists flock to the Serengeti to see the migration there, then gain the impression there is so much wildlife. But a hell of a lot of it has gone.

photos by jan said...

So very sad. Great words Jim, so important and true. I love this song poignant, I keep crying when I come to your page. I am grateful for your work and the work of others to bring this horrible atrocity to light. thank you.

Unknown said...

So sad and so true for many forms of life on this planet. Thanks for posting this, nice to see others care....