Desertification Drives On Poem by Njousi Abang

Desertification drives on
We must be very watchful
And above all, unhypocritical
As we sometimes do
With other socio-political issues
Of state and foreign relations

Desertification drives on
We must be extra careful
As it is an indefatigable monster
Determined to rid us of our joys
Even the eye of a microscope
Can't track it anywhere
For it is invisible but glides on
Slowly like a sly rogue.

Your vigilance must be
Thorough and better than that
Which is mounted up at all points
Against Terrorism for he comes but to
Steal that which is so central
To our very survival on this globe

Desertification drives on
We must fight it with the
Last atom of our energies
And with all our God and man-made talents
It is a war we must win or perish together
What an incredulous and mysterious monster
Whose presence is only noticeable
Through signs and traces
Which it leaves behind?

Desertification drives on
Reports bear erratic rainfall
Melting glaciers, excessive heat,
And dry polluted air and river valleys
Others carry prolonged droughts
Dehydrated flora and fauna
Wild bushfires, famine
Dry fields, watersheds and taps
Taps where water, the source of life
Used to flow in abundance
To replenish lost energies
And sustain human life

Desertification drives on
Take action now: plant a tree or more
If you can and recycle freshwater
Avoid water and air pollution and wastage
Check global warming, surface runoffs
And unsustainable destruction of man-made
And natural vegetation everywhere at all times
Please, recycle freshwater everywhere and
Protect watersheds and conservation areas
Integrate green in all your development plans
Only then will a healthy environment
Be equal to a healthy people