Environment Poem: Now the Taps Are Dry

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Water_drop_001.jpg

Now The Taps Are Dry
(An Environment Poem by Maureen Injete Chesoni)

She told us to plant trees,
and we paid her no heed
And now the taps are dry.
They released
a water rationing schedule today
A water conservation measure
they say,
Because the taps are dry.

We should have rationed our greed
And paid her heed
When she told us not to cut down forest trees
But we did not see the wisdom of her pleas
And now the taps are dry.

We thought that the price of food was high,
Until we had to choose what to buy,
Food or the liquid of life?
Yesterday I had to explain to my daughter,
that the choice was between food and water,
Now that our taps are dry.

Who would have thought
That the day would come,
When we would stand under God’s glorious sun
And buy water by the gallon.
We cannot say that we did not see it coming,
Because she gave us ample warning
That soon the day would be dawning,
When we would wake up one morning
And find that our taps were dry.

So now we are taking conservation measures,
A little too late
We are reclaiming our treasures,
That were squandered and plundered
To suit the whims of a few.
We lacked forethought,
And we should have fought,
Just as she taught,
To protect the liquid of life.
We should have been as far-sighted as she,
Who told us not to cut down trees,
Then perhaps today we would not be crying
Over the fact that our taps are drying.

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The Inspiration For This Poem
This poem was inspired by the current water shortage crisis been experienced in Kenya. There is nothing like personal experience to drive a point home. My taps have literally been running dry for the past two weeks. The "She" alluded to in this poem is the 2004, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Maathai who is a native of Kenya. She dedicated her life to educating Kenyans on the importance of planting trees and was often persecuted for her efforts to save forests. (Wangari Maathai passed away on September 25th, 2011 from ovarian cancer).