by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Alone in a Lost World

Burned-out boat on display at Bombay Beach, a ghost town by the Salton Sea in California. The Salton Sea is a dead body of water that is slowly drying up, and the town is now a sort of art museum. Photo by Design Class on Unsplash.

Alone in a Lost World

Bright rainbow hues have faded now away;

I waken in a world of cheerless grey.

Accursed, I walk beside a stinking sea

where once the dolphins came to swim with me.

From heights I view the valley that was home,

a city veiled in haze, a silent tomb.

Bereft at night beneath a blackened sky,

I seek in vain the twinkling stars on high.

No plea restores the music of the night;

the crickets sing no more! I curse my plight

and long for kindred souls to share my days.

I pray to rise on wings and fly away.

Beloved spirits smile and beckon me

to Heaven in the world that used to be.

Photo by Dottie Maybry from Unsplash.

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

Halloween Sonnet Festival

Ingrid’s Halloween Sonnet Festival inspired me to learn to write sonnets. Few things scare me more than the impending doom of global warming, climate change, deforestation, species extinction, and pollution. We need to change our ways NOW if we hope to prevent the ubiquitous doomsday predictions from coming true.

Check out the Halloween Sonnet Festival on Ingrid’s blog, experimentsinfiction.com!

47 Comments

  1. I have read a few stories about the Salton Sea and Bombay Beach … a venture where the elements of nature came and was also aided by humans polluing ways …and your poem outlines the leftover waste land superbly Cheryl …

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  7. Wow! Bombay beach? We have also Bombay (now Mumbai) beach. But so sad to hear the sorry state of affairs. Thank you for raising the issue. I resonate with you. Pollution is so common at our beaches too, but cleanliness drive is periodically organised.

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  8. You are absolutely right, we need to change our ways, Now. There is a saying in Hindi, the translation of which is, if somebody who lost his way in the morning, returns back in the evening, is not labeled as lost….. I send my good wishes to you Cheryl.

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    1. Thank you, Michel, for reading and commenting. It means a lot to me.

      I recently learned that the dead zones in the oceans are caused by carbon emissions in the seventies and eighties. Emissions have doubled since then, so dead zones will become worse for the next fifty years, even if we use clean energy from now on. Scientists are looking for ways to mitigate this impending disaster in our oceans. Though I won’t be around long enough to see most of the consequences, I am deeply concerned for the future.

      Have an enjoyable week!

      Love ❤
      Cheryl

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  12. a very eerie aspect of our pending doom that we seem determined to hurtle towards blaming govt and industry without taking personal responsibility … a nightmare we should all be having Cheryl! Well done 😦

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    2. Thank you for your meaningful comment, Kate. If we conclude that it is already too late to reverse the destruction of the environment, I believe we should continue our efforts to slow the decline, at least until we have fully developed adequate technology to colonize other planets! Think of all of the other worlds out there just waiting to be exploited!

      All joking aside, I think it is too early to count humanity out. I certainly don’t have the answers, but, working together, I think we may be able to solve our problems. That working together piece is the real challenge, as some are too selfish and greedy to care about the welfare of others or the fate of future generations!

      I have two more Halloween sonnets on the topic of the destruction of the environment ready to post. One of them is a fantasy about “selling our souls to the devil” and the death and rebirth of the earth. Maybe they are thought-provoking, at least.

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      1. wow good for you Cheryl, you are really taking this all to another level … I do believe we have even longer to rape burn and pillage but some need to be scared into taking more responsibility … waiting for govt cooperation is a real myth!

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  13. This is indeed a lost world.
    The mankind itself is responsible for this. And this isn’t a nightmare, it is the consequences.
    We have lost in our own world and have forgotten what is happening around the world. It is depressing to think about, what we’ve done.
    But then ofcourse, we have to ask- Will there be a new beginning? I hope there will

    Thank-you so much Cheryl for these strong & significant words of yours.

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  14. Beautiful yet quite haunting, hinting at impending doom or a downward spiral of darker days. As I read this, I thought it could be interpreted in a few ways. The more objective nature of autumn and winter taking over the landscape, or changes to our environment due to lack of care, or even more metaphorical in terms of mental health struggling during darker emotional days. Very well written as always, Cheryl.

    Caz xx

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    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Caz. It is interesting the different interpretations you found in the poem. My intention was a statement on environmental issues, but the other interpretations fit quite well. I appreciate your reading and sharing your perspective. ❤ Take care!

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    1. Thank you, Henrietta, for your kind and insightful comment. it is a very important topic to me. Though I probably will not live to see a lot of possible consequences of pollution, species extinction, and more severe weather… I worry about future generations. ❤ Have a great day!

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    1. Yes, it is sad to feel all alone. The theme of this poem is how we must prevent the destruction of our planet by global warming, pollution, extinction of animals, deforestation, and all the other environmental challenges we face. To be one of the last survivors in a “lost world” would be lonely for sure! All the best! 🙂

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