Youth poet Alejandra Cantarero participated in SHI’s youth program at her local school in Honduras, where students are learning to recycle, garden, and restore landscapes. When we read Alejandra’s poem, we recognized in it an extraordinary vision for a future where soil, people, and planet can thrive together – a vision nurtured through SHI’s work in Honduras and one we felt compelled to share with our community.
Alejandra Cantarero.
The Last Voice of the Planet
Listen...
The soil breathes wearily,
its veins are trembling roots,
its blood, the rivers, grow murky
with pain.
There was a time
When the wind sang pure,
and the forests were green cathedrals
where the birds prayed.
Now,
The smoke recites prayers in its place,
the leaves fall without autumn,
and the sun weeps in seas
filled with plastic,
that invade their surfaces.
The glaciers melt
like ancient tears,
whispering the names of species
that will never return
But yet, yet...
in the darkest, darkest corner of the world,
a seed waits.
Small. Silent.
Brave.
She looks at us.
She asks us for a promise:
That Man remember
that he is not the owner, but the son:
that he is not the master, but a guardian.
And when the last tree
Blooms again without fear and the air
smells of hope, the earth
Will Finally sing again.
En Español (Original)
La última voz del planeta
Escucha...
El suelo respira cansado
sus venas son raíces que tiemblan,
su sangre, los ríos, se enturbian
de dolorHubo un tiempo
En que el viento cantaba limpio,
y los bosques eran catedrales verdes
donde oraban los pájarosAhora,
El humo reza en su lugar
las hojas caen sin otoño,
y el sol llora en mares
llenos de plásticos,
que invaden sus superficies.Los glaciares se deshacen
como lágrimas antiguas,
susurran nombres de especies
que ya no volveran.Pero aun aún...
en el rincón más más oscuro del mundo
una semilla espera.
Pequena. Silenciosa.
Valiente.Nos mira
Nos pide una promesa:
Que el Hombre recuerde
que no es dueño, sino hijo:
que no es amo, sino guardiánY cuando el último árbol vuelva a
Florecer sin miedo y el aire
tenga olor a esperanza, la tierra
Por Fin volverá a cantar.
Want to see SHI’s work with youth in Honduras grow?
