“We are considered by your country to be a third-world country. They say we are 100 years behind you. Do you think that is true?”
I’m not sure how to answer this. I don’t want to be the ugly, insulting American. I peer through the early morning mist at the river shore passing by. Changing the subject, I say, “Do you see that bird over there on the riverbank?”
“Yes, yes, a white heron. That is a common bird here.”
“What’s it doing?”
He stares hard at the bird that’s standing there looking off to the right. It’s frozen so completely still that it looks like a statue balancing on one thin leg.
“Yes,” he says, “I can see that it is crying.”
“What?”
“Yes,” he says, “tears like jewels flowing down.”
“Huh. Why would that be?”
“Because development is destroying its home. There is too much building going on now. It is coming right down to the river. You see how brown the water is from all the run off? One day I believe all these birds will be gone. It is terrible what we are doing here.”
In some ways I suppose we are a century ahead.
I say, “You should see the island I live on in Hawai‘i. We on my island, O‘ahu, are definitely way ahead of you in terms of destroying the environment.”
* * * * *
Aloha #WriterWednesday. Today’s #WritingPrompt is
the environment
Use it to inspire a piece of writing and then post that piece on your site, or simply leave it as a comment below. I would love to read it : )
Lanning Lee 