Written Poems by Students

We encourage students to write their own poems on issues in Uganda. This provides a creative outlet for students to express themselves. 

 

Poems On Natural Resources Conservation In Schools:

By Vittorio Nazzi from Spain

The Rich Men ruin our land
The rich men build and build
And when there are, buildings up they’re thrilled
But what is the need for all these apartments, all these hotels, all these washing bays
What will happen to our green Earth?
Will it turn brown and dry?
Land degradation
Wetland encroachment
I’m scared it will ruin our land
I’m scared the rich men will ruin our land
I fear for the future, as the rich men erect buildings
And the locals land is killed.
But I wonder, where will the rich be with their generation?

Plant trees at home
I see you planting Eucalyptus trees on the wetlands
You pretend it’s all right, but this should be banned
Plant trees at home and hill land, don’t dry our shared land
You’re draining the wetlands

I see you cutting our trees
But you must stop please
I know you need firewood
I know you need charcoal
But snapping trees is not good
You’re killing Earth’s soul

I love River Mpanga
I love river Mpanga
But every year there’s less water
And it just keeps getting hotter
How can we live if our river dries
We must surely be more wise
Because if there is no river
We will all shiver
And if there was no water
It will be our slaughter

I want to see the snow 
I want to see the snow one more time
Take me back to its prime
When the mountains were covered 
And cabins discovered
Only once the snow melted

But now in Mountain Rwenzori I see no more snow
And it’s a really tough blow

I want to see the snow
I don’t want rain to be a hailstorm
I want Bundibugyo to not flood
I don’t want Ntoroko to be dry
I want Kasese to not suffer landslides
I don’t want the water on Mt. Rwenzori to disappear
I want to see the snow
I hope I’ll see the snow
At least one more time.

Love our forests before they’re gone
I look outside and the forest on the hills is beautiful
But people all around are throwing waste that is not reusable 
I wish they could understand they must be more dutiful
Because this behavior they display is inexcusable

I look outside and the forest on the hills is dying
And the people all around are crying
I wish they had understood before
To avoid destruction of what they adore

Keep our animals and plants safe
The boy throws the bottle in the water
But then he sees it inside the otter
Because plastic in water is killing fish
And this should stop. It is my wish!

The girl leaves her waste at the beach
At school it is clear they should teach
That this will take many homes of animals like ants
But not just that, it will also kill plants

Take care of our resources
We kill the trees for paper
We burn fossil fuels for energy
We kill the fish to eat
We kill animals for clothes and food

But by doing so we kill our Earth
We kill the plants we need for oxygen
We release CO2 and increase temperatures
And We hurt the biodiversity of animals

Where did all the animals go? 
Where did all the animals go? 
All the schools of fish in the sea, with their colorful patterns
All the tigers and the leopards with their stripes and spots
All the birds high up in the air with their beaks and beautiful wings

Where is it that they all go?
All the hunters with their rifles, with their guns, with their spears
All the people who throw away waste and plastic into the sea
All the workers that tear down trees and destroy habitat of animals
Where did all animals go?

I’m Scared
I’m scared I’ll never see the Amur Leopard again
I’m scared I’ll never feel the presence of the Black rhino
I’m scared I won’t ever hear the noise of the Bornean Orangutan
I’m scared I won’t ever touch a Cross River Gorilla

I’m scared my kids will never see the beauty of nature
The valleys of hills and meandering lakes
The mountains of steep rocks and dry land
The beaches of paradise with clear water and white sand

I’m scared I’ll never see the African savannas 
I’m scared I’ll never see the wonder of Hawaii
I’m scared wildlife will be gone and all that will be left
Are the humans who created this whole mess

I have a dream
I have a dream that one day hunters will stop killing the whales
And they will learn to enjoy and see the beauty of nature
I have a dream that one day workers will stop tearing down trees
And they will see the majestic forest that gives the serum of life to us

I have a dream that one day the air will be clean and the rain will not be acidic
And people will see what it means to have healthy air and avoid disease
I have a dream that one day there will be no more plastic in the oceans
And all the fish will leave freely in their schools of color and beauty

I have a dream that materials will be eco-friendly and that factories will not emit CO2
So that the Earth can cool down and the ozone layer can protect us
I have a dream that the elephants and the tigers and the crocodiles and cows
Will be able to leave peacefully without getting hunted for their skin and body.

 

My tears fill up the river
I wish my tears could fill up the river
I wish my sadness and my sacredness could stop the fever
Of those who don’t quiver nor shiver
When they see the state of our river
I talk of River Mpanga, where people now cultivate along its shores
And do not stop to consider that it’s also yours
The volume of water that it was, is no more

Now I’m scared that we will just leave its water floor
To remember how beautiful this river was
And think about our greed that never paused

I wish my tears could fill up the river
So that people could grow unlimited crops
And have access to unlimited water
I wish my tears could fill up the river to avoid dry land
And give nutrients to the soil
I wish my tears could fill up the river
So that everyone has the water they need
And all the fish can live and all the boats can travel
But my tears cannot fill up the river. Maybe all of our tears can.
Maybe, just maybe if we work together and respect the river
We can cry and cry until we fill it all up
Maybe, there is a way to solve the climate issue

I want to go back
I want to go back to when Mountain Rwenzori had snow
And all around the trees had white glow
I want to go back to winter mornings 
Without seeing any warnings
Of the evil of mankind
Who seems to be so blind
I don’t want rain to be a hailstorm
I don’t want landslides to be the norm
I want to go back to the seasons of heavy rain
Where there was so much water, like a drain
I want to see the crops be healthy
More than even just getting wealthy
Because the more we seek, the more it hurts
Our precious mother earth and her outskirts

The Hotel Nearby
I see the builders and developers
The architects and the rich men
The tourists and their children
As they build the hotel nearby
But to me this is not what it seems
In reality I see wetland encroachment
I see degradation I see drying land, dying plants
I see money ruining biodiversity
I see greed compromising our future

I see the investors and their sheep
I see the ones in charge and their Jeep
And slowly they establish washing bays
And in the next few days the buildings are raised
Next come apartments and hotels
And inside my voice I hear yells

The yells of a broken future?
The yells of a compromised environment?
The yells of mother Earth?
Perhaps the yells of our own destruction
Warning us to stop
And yelling to be heard
We must be careful of our nature
And appreciate its wonders
Before it’s too late and we’re left with nothing

The tree of life
Is the eucalyptus the tree of life?
Is it a serum of immortality?
Is it worth planting in the wetlands and drying a true gift of life?
Sometimes we don’t care.
Ignorance ruins our future.

But as more trees are planted in the wetlands, the more they become dry lands
As more trees are cut for firewood, the more a forest becomes a park
And after a park, a garden, and after a garden, nothing
Slowly we will cut and cut and cut until there’s no more to cut
And we will cry and cry and cry until there’s no more tears to cry
And we will regret and sit in guilt, knowing that we did this
We are the ones cutting trees, we are the ones planting in bad areas
We must think before we act, and respect our environment
Why not plant at home? Why not on high lands?
If it is truly the tree of life and you wish to plant it.
Planting more trees will help. But planting more trees in wetlands dries it.
Planting more trees will help. So planting trees at home could be grand.

Mother Earth
Mother Earth bears life to all 
Mother Earth nurtures many things small 
Mother Earth labors and mother earth thunders
Mother Earth’s neighbors are filled with its wonders

Now mother Earth faces a war
And so it’s time. We must do more
Treat it not as a chore
For mother Earth is our core

The Lake on the Mountain 
I step outside my wooden cabin
And I’m greeted by a scene not lackin’
Out on the horizon I see a meandering lake
A sight so beautiful it almost seems fake

For next to the lake I see the snowy tops
Of the mountain so famous for its incredible crops

I stop and I marvel at this wonder in front of me
I find a place to take it all in and sit down on one knee

To pay respect to this Earth which has given? 
All of us the opportunity to be forgiven
With a simple glimpse of its majestic miracles 
As its birds sing harmoniously in syllables

Plead For Change
The Earth is heating
The forests fleeting
Animals are dying
The cubs are crying

Yet men keep cutting, drilling, hunting
And so habitats are decreasing, shrinking, drying
Still men keep taking, killing, destroying
And so animals are aching, dying, breaking

When will we understand? 
That these actions should be banned
When will we comprehend?
That the Earth is our friend

Plead for change with me
Changes for our nature
Changes for our animals
Changes for our Earth.

Where did all the water go?
I look down at the Earth on my ground
I look up at the hills in the horizon
I look to my right at the drying lakes
I look to my left at the dying green bushes

Where did all the water go?
The water that nourishes the Earth
The water that keeps the hills green
The water which fills the lakes
The earth needs its water
I need my water
You need your water 
We need our water
What’s happening to our Earth?
The being that’s supreme
The offerer of birth
The treasurer of dreams

Where did all the water go?
The water we need to grow

Why did we not respect it
We gotta stop we must admit
Appreciate it when it’s there 
It’s as important as our air
Without it we are bare
And we will not be able to fare
So let’s join hands
And unite across lands
And save our water
To stop our own slaughter

The Melting Glaciers
I see the water scrambling, pouring down onto the ocean
I see the glacier melting, shrinking, all in slow motion
I see the polar bears thinking, wondering without emotion
I see the penguins rushing, waddling in midst of a commotion

The Iceland is disappearing before us and bringing forth the demise of its inhabitants
The glaciers are increasing water levels and raising the tides
The ice child of mother earth is dying and we’re sitting at home idle
The ice deserts will never be the same, it’s time to wake up and act

Before there is no more ice deserts
Before there are no more tears to cry
Before we are all engulfed in water
Before our coastal cities crumble 

This is no game
There is no fun
Earth won’t be the same
We must be better everyone