Autobiography of a river

A mountain had given me birth

I had started from a tiny girth
But on my way, I became sizeably wide
I even formed a bank on either side !!!

I still remember the time when
I had jumped down from the mountain then
Ouch !! I had really gotten hurt
& had gotten muddy due to all the dirt
The mud had settled down, and I started to glow
I was well enough, to resume the flow

I had really gotten very long
Large and small stones obstructed my path
Quenching the earth's thirst on my way along
I even gave animals and plants a bath...

How happy I was to serve them all
They thanked me for my selfless service
I always heard of someone's call
I felt I will soon reach eternal bliss

Hey! Suddenly my water started getting impure
It couln't be the plants or animals, I was sure
Yeah, it was the selfish selfish man
Who still exploits me as much as he can
He baths in me, saying I am sacred
He pollutes me by throwing the ashes of the dead
The same elixir is drunk by fauna
Seeing them diseased, because of my water throws me in a trauma

This is not all, I get obstructed by dam
My free water is blocked like traffic in a jam
But some of water does get past
Oh! What a relief I get at last
I am all full of garbage and waste
That crazy human is too much of a pest
Seeing me, my water no one would even wanna taste
Still the dumping doesn't stop, doesn't rest

The call, I again start to hear
I think my caller, my destination, the ocean is near

I hate myself because I will mix
With the ocean and polute it too
But I can't stop my flow, so I am in a fix
Why didn't the human think this through??

The ocean is too near now
I am dumping myself in it
My flow is reduced to zero, this is how
I am dying... Bit by bit...................

-->Original by me
Sanket Karkare
14th july 07