CHAPTER 3
Wonderful - planet Earth
(geographical wonders)
The Nature has very many ways to surprise
and offer to all those who seek this prize
with a keen desire to admire and an eye to observe
appreciate , realize and relish their charismatic lure
The wonders, with which our own planet abounds
for us to feast on, it magnanimously spreads all around
so why my friend look at the sky all the time
just look around whenever you find little time.
And I am sure , here itself, you will be able to discover
a lot that whets curiosity and enhances sense of wonder
look at the ‘auroras’ at the magnetic pole (s)
oh! how beautiful is this phenomenon of our globe
which charged particles of solar wind often create
whenever earth’s magnetic field traps them unaware
and they collide with the N2 & O2 in the atmosphere
to create a fantastic show in the earths ionosphere
waving curtains of dancing light- blue , red and green
shifting and moving like a film scene on cinema’s screen .
Oh! how I wish I could be there, dot on time
to behold and get charged with joy all the time
filling my excited heart merrily, up to the brim ,
drinking the essence in , so as to soak my soul
with the Sun’s gift only to the north &south pole.
And another show near the geographic North pole
attracts and astounds equally every body in its role
with the hot lava flows on the cold ice sheets galore
from mouths of volcanoes on Greenlands shore ,
Angry earth’s heart bursting with fire and fury
making rattling noise outpouring its mantle’s agony
or is it Lord Shiva’s way to warn the wayward world
of the consequences that it will have to face ,be sure
when earth quakes under his feet in the tandave mode
His dancing creating waves of destructive force or more.
and sunami after sunami lashes shore after shore
sweeping away all that it encounters on the way
Oh Man! learn the lesson and pray pray pray .
And these seven great blue oceans of water
have no parallel in the Sun’s family quarter
place of origin and the very source of life
harbour such a great variety and forms of life
that land mass can not compete all its life.
But whether on land or in sea ‘life is life’
a wonder by itself which is found no where else!
but only on this planet in the entire heliosphere
of our sun or may be it also flourishes unknown
on another ‘earth’ in the solar system of other stars
waiting to be discovered in galaxies one or more ;
but about it we will talk a little after a while oh sure .
here the seven continents constituting land continue
to rub shoulders since eons and lo even now
show that due to plate tectonics or otherwise
they have been playing hide and seek all the while
joining or be near some times or else breaking apart ,
and keep on changing, while drifting far and wide,
their flora and fauna with the climate and the time
right from the days of old in geological scale of time
from pre Cambrian days and the Paleozoic period
through Mesozoic one of Jurassic park fame my dear
right up to the present Cenozoic time as they say
they have been carrying the burden of life in a way
originally borrowing a few from the sea’s sole sway .
And the earth’s crust has since then with all its rocks
in their Igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphosed forms
and boasting of a varied topography, and features
assuming the form of mountains, plateaus or valleys
or cold or hot deserts, ravines and rivers or lakes
supported life from unicellular microorganisms on wards
aquatic, xerophytic or otherwise without grumbling even a bit
even when giant dinosaurs crumbled it under their heavy feet.
Look at the golden ice covered peaks of Alpamayo Andees
Cascading Niagra falls or Mosi oa Tunya ‘ smoke that thunders’
various varied unique beaches with not only white or black
sands but those of pastel red , pink! green! purple! shades
Changing colours of sea water near the Peruvian shores
The Grand canyon or crystal caves , the pillars and pearls ,
Soda straws or needles of marvelous carved speleothemes
or moon shining on winding rivers , lakes, lagoons or seas
the isles and islets with beautiful corals under their feet
teaming with a million species in the Great barrier reef.
the only earthly feature visible from space in bold relief;
Beautiful Greek landscape about which poets have vied
and anthromorphic Gods of yore have quarreled and envied ;
Paricutin’s cindercone volcano in the heart of Mexico
or ‘fireworks’ of Stromboli off Minerva’s favourite sicily
Africas‘Garden of Eden’a‘wild life heaven’Ngorongngoro
The Gibralter’s pillar of Hercules at the gate of Atlantic
The playground of Gods,siblings of Zeus,Mount Olympus
or the rock of Aphrodite birth place of this goddess of Greece .
The harbour of Rio de Janeiro with its sugar loaf mountain
mighty amazon or tropical jungles in the brazilian plains, nay
even in Sahara and Antartica you can have amazing encounters
with mysterious nature on its spectacular mind blowing display ;
.or arrays of puffy clouds floating over entire globe gently
wrapping it delicately in a fluffy white shawl so gracefully
allowing one to peep through and admire its natural beauty
from the window of a spacecraft and satisfy ones curiosity .
And if you chance to land one day on Mars or the Moon
and view the panorama of planets after arriving there soon
you will find that neither princely Saturn nor the fair moon
can match the planet earth any way morning night or noon
really a blue white jewel perfect for another honeymoon .
Santosh (Ratan)
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