Perifirma

There once was an Earth that had no borders
No fences, no boundaries, no marching orders
Its waters were pristine, its mountains unscathed
And in shimmering pools, nature did bathe
Forests were mighty and commanded great awe
The Wolf and the Deer had no need for a saw
Oceans were teeming with life far and wide
Meadows sprouted flowers with bees buzzing inside
Flora and Fauna had made an arrangement
They’d stay married forever, an eternal engagement
For millions of years things proceeded as planned
Until one shadowy day when Earth first met man
Humanity took tentative steps seeking food, needing water
Yet in a blink of time’s eye was consumed with mass slaughter
Demarcations were established and great walls were erected
Unblemished rivers were fouled, forests no longer protected
The Tiger and the Rhino sought safer, hunting ground
Many species went extinct and no longer can be found
The Homing Pigeon and the Dodo, just two on a long list
Spectral shapes on a mountain side, obscured in murky mist
And then on a blustery night, torrid winds stirred stale, defiled air
As Flora and Fauna stood together, before kneeling, a solemn weeping pair
Renewing vows made long ago before their home was plundered
They spoke to owl and to redwood proclaiming man had blundered
And winds upon the oceans waves brought news as snow caps glistened
Then plant and animal, insect and fish craned an ear to listen
“Flora and Fauna, true masters of the planet, do hereby so decree
That the madness and the pillaging will no longer fall on thee
From this day, this very hour, we’ll join in common task
And the sanity of nature’s symmetry will once again so bask