HSE, HSE, HSE

Hovering over a flashing sign At the portal to our oil town Chirped the fluttering sparrow To the tiny desert flower That had just offered Its first golden smile To the rising sun of spring: “Eh, ye! What are these guys upto Erecting these boards all around That change colours and scenes Like lights on a festival ground? ” The flower smiled again, This time philosophically: “My flying friend of the sky, Haven’t you yet heard HSE, HSE, HSE!* “Having all these years, Burnt and smoked earth and air, Men choked of breath, Have now seen some sense And know for sure The dance of death awaits If they don’t change their traits.” “Nature, the teacher, Has taught them the lesson That they should have known From day one – but Alas! They had chosen The peril of undoing Their own God-given home.” “Isn’t it strange that it took A hole in the polar skies, Countless clogged windpipes, Scarred lungs and hearts, Scary seas of slick and waste, Smoky dark afternoons, Gasping towns asthmatic For them to understand The simple truth that the gift of God, This ‘blue marble’ of the cosmos Is a treasure to be preserved, Be whatever the cost? ” “Listen friend, they have now begun, Singing a chorus in unison, “HSE, HSE, HSE! ” In utter repentance and in hope, Determined to salvage The oases senselessly ravaged”. “Young men and women Who put up these signs Have a vision of what their home Should be like, unlike the ones Who rushed before them Defiling nature’s sacred realms In wanton, hasty sacrilege.” “HSE, HSE, HSE! ” Echoed the sparrow, As it soared in the brilliant sun, Buoyed by the February wind, Hope infused by the flower, On to a eucalyptus branch That smelt health and well-being. A bemused alley cat That sat under the tree Wondered what all this joy could be. Her whiskers rayed out Untold happiness Deep from a sunny heart As she mewed with the wind “HSE, HSE, HSE! ”. “HSE, HSE! ” sang the kids Their voice filled with mirth. “HSE, HSE” sang the winds As they hissed and kissed the trees. “HSE, HSE” sang the heart As it lay on God’s own lap, Dreaming a world clean and green Where all His children lived and preened Letting every creature live In peace, endowed with healthy breath, Safe and secure without care “HSE, HSE, HSE! ” ________________ *HSE = Health, Safety and Environment