Mother Earth Feels our Pain

Mother Earth Abused (c)

If only you could see her and feel her pain
She is totally and unequivocably abused
In intense pain and agony
She is lying on her side in a foetal position
Head resting on a moss-covered rock also slowly disintegrating
Wondering, wondering, wondering…
She used to be fully clothed
She is now half clothed – hardly any covering, hardly any jewelry
Tears flow from her eyes
Before they were tears of joy
Meandering gently around the globe
Now they are tears of woe , agony imbedded in the tears,
Lots of water rushing and flowing, on the one hand
Glaciers melting, floods accumulating, mountains deforested
On the other, not enough to dissipate drought and desertification
Around her is debris and rubble
The foundation on which she lies slowly disintegrating
Disappearing, so disturbing to grasp that
This is the work of Man
This is how Man treats his Mother
Mother Earth

Emgee Poetry, 6 July 2007 (on Gaia)

Kentucky artist Jeff Chapman-Crane has recently completed a new work entitled “The Agony of Gaia”. Originating from the Greek, “Gaia” is the personification of Mother Earth. Unlike most of his work, which is two-dimensional, this piece is a life-sized, figurative sculpture that depicts Mother Earth suffering the abuse of strip-mining. Created in response to the devastation brought about by such mining practices as mountaintop removal and valley fills, the sculpture took over 1500 hours to complete, spanning over 16 years in its creation.
For more information and to see his work click here