If only trees could speak: Poem by Sree Gururaja

If only trees could speak
As I walk by the evergreen woods
A mile east from Lake Washington
I pause to hear the muffled sounds
The breeze blowing through the spruce and firs
Dry leaves rustle as they hit the ground
Strewing twigs and scented pine cones
Yet, I venture not on the trail
Afraid I’d trip or go astray.

I wonder if these trees could speak
What stories would they narrate ?
Of vanquished tribes and animals extinct
Of glorious past now stripped and ripped
How men’s greed for land and gold
Brought guns, misery and destruction untold
Killed peoples, their culture and future dreams
Trampling their revered forests, hills and streams.

If only trees could speak
They’d remind us of those times
When they were worshipped
Endowed with divine spirits
Thriving with noisy birds in communion
A sanctuary for animals and human beings.

If only trees could speak
Not in whispers soft and meek
Loud and bold they’d scream
When sawed and axed by man and machine.
Too late now they would cry
Thick jungles and wooded forests are forever gone
Replaced with dry barren landscapes they mourn.

If only trees could speak
Will man listen and be inspired
To protect and preserve
nature’s mystique
The present and future generations empowered.