ECO FEMINISM (Poem for Environment Day)

Satbir Chadha

Ms. Satbir Chadha was awarded the Reuel International prize for her medical thriller novel “For God Loves Foolish People”. She has 3 poetry collections to her credit and has been published in over twenty national and international anthologies of poetry and short stories. She is a recipient of the Litpreneur Award by Authorspress for her contribution to literature. She is the Founder of the NISSIM International Prize for Literature, awarded annually to upcoming writers of English prose and poetry.

As the woman rotates one millstone upon the other

To grind fresh grain for her brood

As the wooden churn rotates with the woman pulling the strings

In an earthen pot full of yoghurt and cream

And the butter rises to the top to be scooped up by deft hands

And the Guru says “ Eho Mann iti haath karo” meaning

Make your mind the wooden rod that rotates and in time separates the butter from the whey

So you churn your thoughts and desires, and separate the good from bad

As the branches of the trees bend under the weight of homing birds

A mother says her prayers for all the sons and daughters in the world

No they’re not rituals they’re the way we lived, and in some places do still

As the cows trundle home in the evening their bells tringling

And the cocks and hens go ‘cluck cluck’ for their seeds to feed

Even lizards snapping at tardy mosquitoes are Eco Biology at work

As the farmer cuts the furrows in his land  to plant new seeds

As the rain and sun join the earth to fill our needs

As the migratory birds fly thousands of miles spreading universal good

As the world says it’s evening prayers before they partake food

May such be the way we live and let our planet live

Never shall we want, and never suffer and ever be in peace

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Setu, June 2023