The Pearls of Catharsis Times Issue 04, July 2017 | Page 86

Countdown
10 trees in the forest.
Home to my tribe
for thousands of years.
9 trees in the forest.
The thirst of riches
can dry up an ocean.
8 trees in the forest.
They assured us
that they wouldn't cut down
any more trees,
in the name of respect.
7 trees in the forest.
They told us
that they still have to cut down
a few more trees,
in the name of progress.
6 trees in the forest.
The world is a peacock
that boasts of its ideals,
in the name of rights
but its tail soon closes again.
5 trees in the forest.
There is no more food
and our children cry,
in the name of hunger.
4 trees in the forest.
Someone writes about us,
in the name of information.
3 trees in the forest.
Someone pretends to help us,
in the name of falsity.
2 trees in the forest.
We are dying
and everyone notices.
One tree in the forest.
We are dead
and no one notices.
There are no more trees in the forest.
They will write books
about the extinct tribe
and they will move on
to the next forest.
- Gianfranco Aurilio