Litany of the Damned

Oh Mother

I’ve failed you

I’ve carved holes in your heart

I’ve ravaged your virgin forests

your wounds run deep and raw

your womb has become barren

in my ruthless greed and gluttony

I’ve cut you down to the marrow

I’ve burned your young saplings

I laid waste to the groves

of your age-old sacred oaks.

The permafrost is gone

oceans engulf the land

now there’s only one season

we’ve named it Hell.

Oh Mother

I’ve failed you

my litany will soon go silent

it’s too late to make amends

I vowed to love you without end

now with my last breath I repent.

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© Rui Alves, September 2023