If Nature could talk

    With eyes closed I asked her, what do you think nature is?

She innocently closed her eyes, smiled and said, “Nature is green plants, birds in the sky and fish in the sea. That’s nature.”

“Do you really think that’s all I am?” I asked the girl curiously.

“You’re Nature?” she asked me with wide eyes.

“Of course, I am” I replied immediately.

    I always find it pretty funny when people print out labels on products claiming how ‘natural’ its ingredients are. What is unnatural really? Is there anything without me? Oh, you humans amuse me!

    People are very narrow-minded of my forms…as if I’m there in one and not in the other.

I am everything.

I am the roaring sea and the shining thunder skies. I am the quiet morning dawn and dew. I am in every birth and in every death fading into the earth. I am the chirping birds in the sky and the bubbling fishes in the sea & rivers. I am the bright warm sunshine…I am the cold depths of the ocean. I am the chaotic company of animals and the solitary nothingness of outer space. Everything you know, experience and possess is mine and you too are part of my existence. I am the universe and the universe is alive in me.

I am both death and life. I nurture and destroy…but really…who can destroy me? I am immortal, neither did you create me, nor can truly destroy me. But I can destroy you quite easily…Storms, droughts, floods, earthquakes, tornado, diseases and erupting volcanoes are some of the many weapons under my sleeve. I have more from where that came from.

Life progresses towards death. And then, from death begins new life.  That’s the circle of life that I orchestrate…and I assure you, from my view, it’s a beautiful medley.

    I will admit that humans are strange animals, never quite came across a species like it. Humans, so full of pride, fail to understand that I’m too complicated to comprehend and too strong & smart to be manipulated forever. Remember? There always has to be a balance. But your feeble and short human lifespans fail to grasp the vastness of the complexities you wish to tamper with, and thus, you’ll continuously suffer as I, time and again, try to bring about a balance in me.

    When I brought out the recent pandemic, humans stayed home and watched me take over their localities.  They looked out of their windows and imagined how beautiful this world would be without them, they wished for that world without their species. I found that strange. I sensed a sort of self-hatred in humans. They think they can’t be part of the beauty because they’re currently struggling to find a good co-existence of their species and the rest of nature. I am Nature and I realize that humans too are part of me.  

Humans are powerful and intelligent, but they should be humble enough to be at peace with not knowing everything to the degree I know myself. For its only with humility that one can learn.

Our co-existence is possible…don’t you believe it?

I looked down at the young girl near me, looking at me in awe of all that I have said. I picked her up and showed her the vastness of my existence.

    When she finally found the words to speak, she said, “You’re beautiful, Mother Nature. Can I be your friend?”

“You already are my friend, your species had just been a bad friend to me so far.”

She looked down in sorrow for a minute then looked back up at me again. She fumbled on her words when she tried to speak, but finally said the words I was looking for in every creature since the beginning of time, “I promise to do better, Mother Nature, I promise I’ll be a better friend to you.”

Just then, I remembered of all the humans who devoted their lives and energies into protecting me and the thin balance of everything. They too were my friends.

And so, we walked together hand in hand to tomorrow. We walked and talked. I told her stories of the lives that had taken shapes and forms through me. She enjoyed my company and I could say the same for her as well. Humans are strange feeble creatures who amuse me. I am fond of them. We walked into a better world where you and I were good friends to each other.

Originally posted on Syllable Soup's blog of St. Andrews College as the winning entry (1st Place) of the 2020 Creative Writing Competition.

Edited by Pearl Fernandes on the 31st, August, 2021

The Ecstasy of Letter Writing + A Letter Was Received (Poems)

With the letters that I wrote 

I put heartfelt words in a quote 

Dear friends & family, near & dear

I hope these letters bring you good cheer

From stickers & cut-outs of magazines

I create art with ribbons in between

Folding it, I place it in an envelope,

Wishing this also helps you'll cope

I think of the journey this letter will take

Perhaps across streets, vehicles, seas & lakes

I scribble on the addresses

And forget all of my stresses

Finally, the stamp I then place

Thinking of the smile on your face

I take a long walk to the post office

Handing the letters, I am so glad that I'm delirious

Post Script: 

This was a unforeseen surprise I got few hours after I published and shared my initial poem. 

This poem written by one of my good friends, Rishabh Jaiswal, was inspired by the above poem that I wrote. These two poems are like two sides of a coin, in the way it highlights perspectives of the letter writer and the letter receiver, which I found so profound that I just needed to publish this as well. Like a sequel to my poem.

Following is the poem he wrote back to me: 

"A Letter was received"

By Rishabh Jaiswal

I received a letter, a friend wrote to me

And the words in it sent me in a state of glee

I had many things to do, but I didn't pay them heed

I left everything aside just to give it a read

O! the magic in her words, nothing could be better

The letter she wrote to me is about writing a letter.