English

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH

The rural caboclo always lived in harmony with the land.

He planted at the right time, harvested abundantly, and shared with his neighbors what the land gave him. But times have changed.

Today, instead of waking up to the singing of birds and the smell of wet earth, the caboclo feels the heavy air, laden with smoke.

The horizon that was once green, with endless fields of crops, is now overtaken by wildfires that devastate everything.

The merciless fire consumes the trees and the animals that sought shelter there.

The caboclo walks through the land that was once his source of life, and all he finds are ashes.

The animals, once his companions in the fields, no longer have a refuge.

The cattle that grazed peacefully, the birds that filled the sky with their flight, are now disappearing, victims of this cruel fire and uncontrolled devastation that shows no mercy.

The rivers that once crossed the lands, clear and pure, are now drying up, muddy and sorrowful.

The caboclo looks up to the sky and says a prayer.

He knows that nature has always had its laws, that the cycle of life is sacred. But what he sees today is not the work of time or the seasons.

It’s the greed of men, who deforest, burn, and take more from the earth than it can give. It’s an open wound in what he loves so dearly.

He hopes for better days.

He continues his daily struggle, planting what little remains, watering the soil with his tears and his hope.

Perhaps, one day, the land will return to how it once was, generous and abundant, and the rural caboclo can once again live in peace with nature.

But for now, he finds only silence and destruction.