Rijul Kaundal, Class 9, St Edwards School, Shimla
Oh, what a wonderful thing nature is,
Overflowing with color and beauty;
Gazing my eyes upon it gives me eternal bliss,
It’s something rarer than diamonds and rubies.
I had a favorite oak tree at my uncle’s place,
It was strong, big, and tall, and I gave it a smiley face;
I had a swing attached to it, which I rode every evening,
It was a place where I used to sit and admire nature’s grace.
The tree bore acorns in summer, which were tiny cute nuts,
Every squirrel in the forest wanted one, but none had the guts;
I gathered all in a little red basket and gave each squirrel one,
They gently took it from my hands to feed their little ones.
Now that I’ve grown, I look at the nature of my past,
All the trees have been cut out, and the land is barren vast;
Nature keeps unleashing its fury in all ways extreme,
Houses have been flooded from storms, and land dry from the heat;
My wish for seeing my nature past now looks like a mere daydream.
We do know that nature has a grace,
But we should understand that it unleashes fury,
It can give us protection, care, and bliss, and make us live happily through;
So, let’s protect nature and restore its past glory.
