If They Could Be Heard

Kind of factual.

Once in a garden, beneath my feet, the grass shrieked as I trampled its face. The ants broke ranks in frantic lines, hissing at me to be careful in that place. 

A flower near me convulsed, a petal plucked by the wind, crashed by the wayside. The dewdrop on it, hit stone with a thud, letting a tiny yelp of pain as it died. 

The low-pitched groans of a tree hit me, as a saw was driven into its belly. Each branch had a throat that screamed, every leaf had lips, gasping softly.

A forest howled, its heart set ablaze. A myriad of plants choking and spluttering in the haze. I heard their saplings wail and plead, trapped inside  their charring seeds.

I heard a  valley sob and heave.  In waves of green, spilling its grief. The stars, icy onlookers no more - They seemed to blink, tears coming to fore.

If nature ever lets us hear more than we can, beyond the ranges our senses could span, we'd certainly go insane for our ears would never fall silent again.

Author's Note

Some studies suggest that plants "scream" or emit ultrasonic sounds when stressed. These sounds, primarily popping or clicking noises, are at frequencies too high for humans to hear. The sounds increase when the plant is stressed, like when it's dehydrated or cut. This could be a way for plants to communicate distress to other organisms that can perceive these frequencies. This inspired the poem.

Reviews

[JMichael]

That Author’s note is very interesting……I have never contemplated such a thought before. Perhaps there is some truth in it. They are living, growing things, so why can’t they have ways of expressing their pain? I don’t know how it could be proven but it helps one look at nature in a completely different light.

I think if they could be heard, they would be expressing all manner of shocking, distressed sounds. We take our natural world for granted and think nothing of destroying parts of it in the name of human progress. Maybe if we did have the elevated hearing frequencies of other organisms, we would be sure to listen and change our attitude towards the plight of nature.

Another interesting theme tackled in this poem. Certainly an idea full of originality that now has me thinking of the nature around me in a different state of mind.

Well thought through and composed.

[DIVYA]

Thank you so much JMichael. I'm grateful for your in-depth and understanding words. As you've so rightly said, its about us taking Nature for granted. Its not just about the sounds emitted by plants, its about everything out there that we chose to ignore and the creatures out there understand. I read about it sometime back and just had to write this. Very grateful for your appreciation.

[Richard🖌]

Free Style poetry (Free Verse w/intermittent inner and end rhymes) is among my favorite poetic forms; though, I seldom compose in it anymore. You've done an exemplary job with this piece, Divya.

Coincidentally, when but a lad, my mentor had me study a book titled "The Secret Life of Plants," a Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, 1989 … first published in 1973. https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Plants-Fascinating-Emotional/dp/0060915870/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RXJIW6IEW90A&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gr_t6tWI5z7LRyHUFcfhsLb-osiJz13YgE7sn90HP3qvjvs5GAIWPdNAWoPa1_laa_m1RQMOkfHbwIUYevpvHVBIwVUm3PFLqPd5kABfsmrzVck8gfsdq1uMsk7gKuj2TqSCKbsqYZ5Ofjv2liHXQkDXMKkcLLoUddjTX0cfasoKgHwuR_j8Sz62PRm0E6Ysb844ZEsefAZgtYC7Rn0pXLKS1YHl0i5u6I21Bofp6m8.s5bRRSWZdGMNHY5qEG9P_C0rGM2IaH3zf_Ul89B-zfo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+secret+life+of+plants&qid=1753888252&s=books&sprefix=the+secret+kife+of+plants%2Cstripbooks%2C134&sr=1-1

Therefore, you might find it interesting to know that your sentiments and emotions and mine (concerning Nature's flora and fauna) seem to run juxtaposed.

As much as I cherish the world of words, I sometimes hold language in disdain, because we can't even form thoughts and feelings without using words to realize and acknowledge inner sensations, must-less communicate silently with plants and animals, or even other humans, as I'm convinced our minds were intended to … we've essentially become numb to our primal mental, emotional, and spiritual functions.

"SOAP BOX!" Sorry, Divya … you well know my exuberant nature.🙄
Thank you for another great share! ⁓ Richard🖌

[DIVYA]

Indeed, dear Richard...Language is a tremendous invention of man but they have their limitations. I think Nature is so powerful because its wordless and yet expresses herself with far more flair than we can with all our speech and words. Thank you for sharing the link. I'll be sure to look at the book and soon. And my heartfelt thanks to you for such a beautiful and understanding review!

[Richard🖌]

Reading your poetry, Divya, and writing reviews for you has always been one of my favorite delights … and, I'm glad for your rewarding thanks.

Many blessings! ⁓ RJ 🍁

[DIVYA]

Many blessings to you too, dear Richard!
Namaste!
.......💐🙏............

[Richard🖌]

Shraddha, Divya 🙏

[Neha agrawal]

It’s powerful. A warning wrapped in lyricism. Extraordinary work.

[DIVYA]

Thank you so much for your kind words of appreciation, dear Neha.

[Dennis Wolf]

What's the surprise? Have we gotten so vegetarian in a laughable, foolish effort to withdraw ourselves from the circle of life, that we'd forgotten about plants being alive as well? 🙄 Life consumes life to stay alive, no way to take something without takin it..

Anyway, yes, we've been a cancer to the planet's ecosystem, we know this since a very, very long time and what did we do about it? Leaned further into the destruction, because why not? And we've increased our global population, because, hey, it's not like six billion chunks of redundant protoplasm were bad enough... 🙄


Hahaha, okay, now that I've ranted, let me say, you've dun it again, a great write.

[DIVYA]

Thank you Dennis, cancer is the right word. Plants are not supposed to be sentient but even they're protesting now.

[Dennis Wolf]

We can't really say that, if they were supposed to be sentient or not, because we were, by all rights, ignorant of so much in the world around us, thinking how great we are... And yet...

At any rate, nature will find a way to balance things out, even if it means human extinction 🤔 well, in a way, I'd actually like that, it'd be poetic, don't you think?

[DIVYA]

Yes of course. Extinction of f*****g humans with all the ills is the best solution. Never will a more malevolent and dirty species be created. I'm sure of that. Its s blissful thought.

[Dennis Wolf]

Well, maybe we'll see a miracle and conscience will somehow revive itself 🤔 who knows, maybe instead of verbal "virtue" and "ethics" we'll have some folk(who actually seem to matter within our societies) embody the principles 🤔you know, show us that better alternative instead of talking about it🙄 well, it's a shaky bet but hey, that'd be fine too 🤔😁

[DIVYA]

If such folks are indeed there, then sadly they're too few to make a difference. I hope I'm wrong though. 🤔