Ode to Mithi

Ode to Mithi

I have seen Mithi,
As she twists and turns,
Around deceptive curves,
And banks once spurned.

Black as a serpent,
Deep as despair,
Mithi has risen,
Taken on a dare.

Now she spreads
Her inviting arms,
Engulfing many
With her charms.
No amount of struggle
Will be enough,
Many a lives
She's out to snuff.

Now she recedes
And takes them with her,
Beneath her folds,
Not a stir.
What hapless souls
She traps in her
Murky depths?
An unfortunate fate,
Successfully met.

I have seen Mithi,
As she twists and turns,
Around deceptive curves,
And banks once again spurned.

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This poem is a tribute to all those people who lost their lives in the deluge that Mumbai (India) experienced on 26th July, 2005. As the city flooded, the Mithi (Sweet) River broke her banks. The Mithi is one of the natural drainage systems that takes excess water from lakes in Mumbai to the sea. Unfortunately, over the decades, Mithi has been polluted to the extent that it resembles a waste canal. It is actually completely black in most areas it passes through and emits foul fumes. It is so thick with sludge, that the bodies of many of those who drowned in it were never found.

After the deluge, the government is trying to clean up the Mithi and has made about a 20 percent progress towards this goal.

However, even this season, when it rained - not so heavily - the Mithi broke her banks and swept away four people.

When I look at the Mithi, I wonder if she is avenging the years of abuse she has faced? When I read about or see the floods, the tornadoes, the storms plaguing the entire world, I wonder if our planet is doing the same?

Let us all come together and vow to do our bit to save our world.