The curfew outside
Brings me to the curfew within
At the locked gate of my heart
Self closed, wilfully quarantined

Over decades of neglect
Mired with cobwebs of mistrust
Over fellow humans and other harmless species
Over the earth that is our home and hearth

Leaving the living gasping for breath
Throttled by relentless devastation
Choking in venomous, malicious air
Sacrificed at the altar of human greed

We believe this earth belongs to us
Total ownership, complete dominance
Over all resources, all of nature
Over all that the earth has to offer

We spend our time relentlessly
Creating rules, groups, biases
Dividing one species from another
Estranging one human from another

Do we ever pause to ponder
That what if the reverse were true
That perhaps, we belonged to the earth
Along with all others to savour and to share

It is high time to deeply introspect
And unlock the locked gate
With long lost tears and feelings
With empathy and with compassion

So that we can leave this earth intact
For our children and for our children’s children
So that our home can be nurtured
Back to its state of health and cheer

Subir Chakraborty
22nd March 2020