A Wondrous World / A Dream
By Bittersweet Life
I envision a wondrous world enveloped by beauty. With glorious oceans of
shimmering blue, and unyielding mountains of valour. Endless pastures of
blooms iridescent blanket the earth between grand trees; ancient pillars
of life that tower over the creatures of the land. Rushing rivers and crashing
waterfalls pool into calm, clear lakes. Violent storms shatter the sky
and peel away to reveal a billion burning lights. I roam around this world
in my dreams.
I stand on white beaches, exhilarated, as relentless waves smash upon the
shore and spray me with an icy mist. I stand above the clouds, atop titanic
mountains. In awe my breath is shallow, for the mountains are earth risen
to the realm of gods. Beneath the mighty trees I bow. From seed and sapling,
these warriors have conquered all. Watchers of the world, breathing life
into the very air. Wise above all else, yet majestic and strong. I stroll
through the pastures amongst the gentle beasts. Pure and free, they walk
beside me as brothers and equals. I marvel at great waterfalls, powerful
rivers ending in abrupt falls from grace. I trail the flow to the placid
springs of crystalline water. Their brutal journeys’ end, finally peaceful
and still. As crooked streaks of light rend the sky into pieces I cower
in veneration. A great roar tears through the air as the clouds flash with
raw energy. As I roam this world my eyes burn. The abundance of beauty
scars my wide and feeble eyes. Blinded, I submit. My eyelids seize and
fall.
They open to reveal a wicked place. Oceans of oil and garbage roll sluggishly
over dead beaches. I stand on black sand as the water stains my skin. Atop
monstrous buildings my stomach churns with bile. Below the haze of poisonous
smoke, I can see greed choking the pastures of old. I grimace before a
constructed waterfall guiding a once proud river to its doom. Passing through
the jaws of the beast it is swallowed and distributed by its whim. I wander
between dying stumps and felled trees, aching and crying. The very life
they breathed turned against them, betrayed, they watched their brothers
fall. Ancient roots are left to rot slowly in tarnished earth. I stand
silent in a crowd of beasts that ignore me. Fleeting glances and putrid
stares toxify my soul. These beasts are neither pure nor free. They have
befouled a wondrous world and now stride arrogantly over it. As an almighty
crack splits the sky I scream to the heavens; “Extirpate these abhorred
beasts! Cleanse the land they have besmirched!” A showering of cruel
and bitter cold is my reply and I sink to my knees. This world tears and
bleeds my heart, burning it from within. I squeeze my eyes shut to hide
the filth. I plead for them to never open again. And I dream of a wondrous
world, untouched by man.