The Serengeti

The Serengeti,
its beauty
the contemporary
postcard of scenery
untouched.
The grandeur of migration heard
in the hooves of Wildebeest
and Zebra.
An ancient ecosystem
holding its breath
it will remain unmarred
by its guardians.
But rumbles of greed
vibrate the land.
Progress desires
to plow a road
through paradise.
The cell phone
in the pocket of man
ringing death.
Humanity would
rather hear a ring tone
than the call of the wild.

Susie Clevenger 2011
In the pursuit of financial gain there are plans to build a highway through the Serengeti. The reason:  coltan, a metal vital to the production of cell phones and computers. 
To read more about this I have provided a link:

Comments

Sherry Blue Sky said…
Oh my God, this is horrifying news. Apparently humankind has no limit to the desecration it is willing to inflict on this planet. I am horrified. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
October 3, 2011 at 5:33 PM
Kay L. Davies said…
Shocking, but not surprising.
Well done.

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
October 3, 2011 at 9:15 PM
ShonEjai said…
Wow! Will man's greed ever stop? Even in this age of "green" everything, they are proposing this?! Wow!
October 3, 2011 at 9:53 PM
Kerry O'Connor said…
Oh yes! What you say is so true... people want to experience the natural world, just so long as they're in range of a cell-phone tower.
October 4, 2011 at 1:14 AM
Jinksy said…
Not a pleasant prospect...
October 4, 2011 at 3:07 AM
Susannah said…
Beautifully written.

I thought that...

"Humanity would
rather hear a ring tone
than the call of the wild."

Summed up so much.
October 4, 2011 at 4:59 AM
Laurie Kolp said…
Powerful piece... horrible news.
October 4, 2011 at 8:34 AM
Mystic_Mom said…
This is a great poem! I'm saddened that once again people are wishing to fill nature with their own noise.
October 4, 2011 at 9:09 AM
Mike Patrick said…
Those last three lines . . . wow!
October 6, 2011 at 6:22 PM
Sherry Blue Sky said…
Oh Susie, I SO hear you. That plan really hit me in the heart. There is just no end to the desecration and lack of holding anything sacred in this world any more. Nothing but Money and Profit has any rights. Argh. I so love Africa and the Serengeti........
May 28, 2012 at 10:00 PM
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