Poems by Greta Akili

Wetlands

O' Wetlands! How I mourn for you,
Death is close at hand,
I am called many names,
Estuarine, mangrove swamp, marsh, bottomlands
And surrounded by mangrove forests,
With oysters stuck to my roots,
Fishes live and depend on me, to feed spawn and grow,
Crabs have homes, tunnels of holes around me,
Turtles pay a visit every year to lay,
And birds of green, little blue and yellow night herons
Reflect upon me.

I also help to protect you, I take in carbon and
Release oxygen for you to breathe
I function like a strainer and a sieve to filter pollutants
From the sea, making it safe for you to swim
I hear two thousand a new millennium
Will I be here for my eco-system and other sisters to survive and flourish?
I am now threatened. I have been cut I am bleeding
Garbage is dumped in and around me I cannot breathe
Filth- Sewage flows into me- I will become sick

Development hotels and airports are building around us
We are dying. Who are the powers that be? Does anyone care?
Will we be saved? Is it already too late?
I hope that we can be saved,
Because in saving us the benefits and gains are so rich,
That we can become millionaires together with MOTHER EARTH