We are not Listening

We are not listening to the river  
To the tales it has to tell 
About its journey from the mountain
Through the land itself

We are not looking at the sky 
And do not heed its warning 
Too blinded by our own lives
To see the new day dawning

We are not feeling the gentle breeze 
Do not hear it whisper the truth 
Its warning of the days to come
As if we really need more proof

We are not listening to the poor 
The lonely and dispossessed 
We drown out their desperate cries 
Thinking that we always know best

Why were the communications cut? 
Why was the vital signal lost? 
When did we decide among ourselves  
We would never have to count the cost?

We are not listening to the earth weep 
Or the terrible cry of the poor  
Will we only listen when 
They have become a deafening roar?

Peter Sagar