FLAMES OF THE FOREST

Forest fire! Flames everywhere,
Birds flying away, helter-skelter,
Animals fleeing away for fear of death,
To places unknown yet safer for shelter.

Small creeping crickets, worms and snakes,
Unable to keep pace with the flames,
Consumed in the devastating fire,
Turned into ashes, dark and grey.

Butterflies pretty and beautiful
Yellow, green, maroon, and black,
Different colours, designs and textures,
As if knitted and painted to perfection,
In a wee second succumbed to the sweltering heat.

What a sight! Lonely, disenchanting, depressing,
Soot covered tree trunks, half-baked branches,
Fully burned heaps of leaves and small bushes,
Marked the forlorn landscape.

Then I took a closer look,
Death did not dominate the scene,
On the ground I could see the beginnings of new life,
Thick undergrowth was beginning to take hold.

New roots, new shoots, new sprouts, new leaves,
All from the ashes, dark and grey,
No more the barren land, forsaken by all,
‘cause life cannot be defeated, death is not the end.

New life has taken roots,
Steady and prolonged rain did the magic.
Let us celebrate the new life outside,
Let us celebrate the new life within.

You cannot be consumed for all the time,
The raindrops of God’s love steady and prolonged,
Will do the magic of restoring life.
Rise from the ashes and become a new creation,
You shall never be consumed by the forest flame.