Holly MacRae, 16, was recently made the first Manx Youth Bard. She has written a poem inspired by the fires in the Amazon jungle, and by a recent trip she made to the area.

The Amazon rainforest is a pair of lungs for our planet.

However, in recent months, our lungs have been consumed by smoke, as fire rages through vast areas of the Amazon basin. As the smoke crept up on Sao Paulo where I was at the time, on a mission trip with the Living Hope church, we were oblivious to the raging fires destroying 2,240,000 acres of land.

Although this is truly a tragedy of note, it is an inspiring wake-up call to the world, that the environment seeks our help.

Oceans are drowning in plastic, the sky chokes because of the polluted air, and the planet’s lungs are engulfed in flames. How do we help save our planet?

Something that struck me recently was the fact that we can’t get through a single day without having an impact on the world around us; what we do makes a difference, but we have to choose what kind of difference we make.

We can change the course of events just by a simple act of charity.

We can stop something like the Amazon fires from happening again through donation, campaign, petition signing, raising awareness.

This is why I wrote the poem ’Nature’s Voice,’ as I felt compelled to write a poem from the perspective of nature and its cry for help.

I wanted to raise awareness in view of the Amazon fires, pollution, climate change, deforestation and other major environmental problems that need to be addressed.

If nature had a voice, then surely she’d say that if we intend to provide future generations with a better life and a better world, then we cannot ignore the plight of the planet today.

Nature’s Voice

If the oceans could speak, what would they say?

If the heavens had eyes, what would they see?

Would the clouds fill with rain and pour down like tears?

If flowers had lips, they’d whisper their fears.

But little by little,

Sea by Sea and Tree by Tree,

We can save our Planet,

All the Air and Everywhere,

For We Are Wildlife.

As the trees wave farewell, it’s harder to breathe,

As we suffocate life, and poison the seas,

For we did not protect the Earth, our home,

And our children will reap what we have sown.

But little by little,

Sea by Sea and Tree by Tree,

We can save our Planet,

All the Air and Everywhere,

For We Are Wildlife.

by Holly MacRae

www.manxbard.im