People Of The Blessed Land, Sunil Rajagopal, WA fwd, 18 Aug 2018

The blessed people lived 
in a bountiful land, 
a fish-shaped land 
hallowed by the sea 
and generous peaks, 
with plentiful rivers, 
a treasure of green 
and rain, blissful rain! 

Half of the people 
owed it to god 
while the rest trusted in 
the power of people, 
So blessed they felt 
they all agreed 
it as a land of gods; 
So blessed they felt 
they grew rich and happy 
and marched onward 
but forgot their blessing. 

The sea frowned at them 
and sent forth her clouds, 
it rained 
and they walked in it 
to wash away their sweat; 
it rained again 
steadily now, 
and they brought out their umbrellas; 
it rained again 
with furrowed brow this time, 
they smiled and went on with their lives; 
it rained again 
harder this time, 
they smiled and splashed to work; 
it rained again 
with purpose now, 
they laughed and raced boats in the streets; 
they laughed and still did not remember. 

They laughed and said, 
we have tamed the rivers 
and walled them in, 
we have tamed the forests 
and our gods live in the hills, 
we have tamed the land 
and our crops are gold, 
we have bridges and boats 
and our homes are brick & mortar; 
the sea is our mother, 
she will swallow anything 
we throw out and 
you throw at us, 
and they laughed 
and went back to work. 

The rain called her allies 
and went to her mountains 
where their first-born 
river and forest grow, 
she called and they came; 
It rained then, 
it rained and rained 
from the sea to the mountains; 
Thunder lent the rivers his hammer 
the mountains gave them his might 
the clouds became their darkness 
and the sea filled them with her rage; 

Down came the rivers, 
the forests parted to 
let them pass 
and then trampled their roads; 
Down came the rivers, 
red and rocky with rage 
drowning their shrines, 
burying their green; 
Down came the rivers 
smashing the walls that hemmed them in 
bursting the banks that they chose to keep 
cutting through their paper houses 
and stacks of silly towns; 
It rained and rained 
till the once blessed people 
called upon the sea, 
But she only howled, 
swollen with fury 
and blew them a swirling gust; 

It rained and rained 
till each mountain was an island 
till each city was mud 
till their bridges swam 
till their boats climbed trees 
till they were wet to their bones 
till they no longer laughed 
till they fell to their knees 
and remembered 
that they once were blessed; 
and the sea said, 
it's time to learn 
to walk in the rain again.