CRY OF THE WILD

Every day, animals lose their habitat

And I know that many people care.

But so often, we just look away

And pretend a problem is not there.

They lose their habitat to destruction -

Buildings and homes go up left and right.

People don't think about the animals

That run away with so much fright.

They lose their habitat to pollution -

People throwing trash all over the place;

Pouring chemicals into the waters -

Thinking of only the human race.

A lone wolf howls into the night

And looks down at a land he once knew.

From the mountain, he stares at city streets,

Where once trees and wildflowers grew.

A Great Blue Heron takes to the sky,

Leaving behind a place he knew as home.

This place, a marshland, is disappearing -

Leaving nowhere for him to roam.

A Barred Owl has lost her babies -

Two babies not yet capable of flight.

The tree they lived in was destroyed.

Two voices will never be heard in the night.

A 10-year-old raccoon is deathly ill.

A poisoned fish he unfortunately consumed.

The fish came from a polluted river -

Man's carelessness leaves him doomed.

A Mountain Lion is coldly shot at.

Luckily, the bullet just grazes his skin.

He crossed land he once belonged to.

Now, this land is no place for him.

A Leatherback Sea Turtle is strolling

And something catches the reptile's eye.

He then eats what he thinks is a jellyfish,

But it's a plastic bag and he will die.

All these things really do happen,

Although we may not want to admit

We are disrespecting Mother Nature,

And some of us just choose to forget.

Organizations try to make things better

And help restore habitat that animals lost.

But of course, they can't do it alone;

These efforts do come with a cost.

I know that we are far from perfect.

We must do what we have to live.

But if we must alter and take away,

Shouldn't we also try to give?

The Earth is a beautiful place.

It belongs to all creatures great and small,

But it's man's responsibility and duty

To keep it clean and safe for all.

Stacy Smith (c) 2002