THE EARTH - Poem by one of my students

In class, it sometimes happens that a student will write a poem that is only tangentially related, or not related at all, to the theme of the workshop. One of the key things that differentiates my role from that of a more traditional teacher is that I love it when this happens. In the days (or weeks, depending on how lazy I am!) to come, I will be sharing some poems on the theme of Islam and the 99 names of Allah. However, I'd like for now to share a different poem that was written during the workshop. Arundhati took the idea of an object having different attributes, and ran with it. Here is her fantastic poem:

Earth by Arundhati

I am the earth.

I am far greater and larger than any creature,

yet I stand beneath.

I give you my children to take care of

yet you tread on them like they are worthless.

I give you my tears of joy

yet you force me to cry as you need water.

I give you love, kindness and happiness

yet you pierce my heart for my diamonds.

I give you everything you need

yet you take advantage and ask for more.

I sacrifice my life to make you satisfied

even though I am dying.

Each day I am dying.

Dying.

You will not recognise me

until I am gone.