Remember all the things we’ve lost, a vast globe of life amassed,
Of course you don’t, what’s gone is gone, the human memory does not last,
But once we lived amongst great creatures, and wonderous places,
Today we can only hope, to keep what’s left in some sort of stasis.

Remember when you could walk through forest, from coast to coast?
Of course you don’t, that world is gone, broken, fragmented, trees are ghosts.
But once great woodlands circled the globe; an endless wonder wholly alive,
What’s left is habitats no longer functional, pockets of life not able to thrive.

Remember when rivers flowed free, and clean, and clear, and wild?
Of course you don’t, such things are myth, all waterways are now defiled.
But once rivers could sway, and bend, and fill themselves with life’s full range,
Today they are constrained and destroyed; little more than human drains.

Remember when giant animals roamed every isle and continent?
Of course you don’t, they are long gone, to humans’ destructive dominance.
But once there were herds and beasts of wonder, amassed in every landscape,
Now there is little space left for life, agriculture lets little escape.

Remember when the oceans teemed with corals, fish, and whales?
Of course you don’t, we’ve emptied them, a wet desert now prevails.
But once life was plentiful, glorious, diverse, and enormous,
Now it is a pitiful shadow, clinging on against our appetites furious.

Remember a time when the air was abuzz with birds and insects?
Of course you don’t, their plight, their decline, isn’t even of interest.
But once they were everywhere, filling every nook and niche,
Colours and sounds lost to time, our biomes now seems a poor pastiche.

Remember when the weather seemed less wild and vengeful?
Of course you don’t, it’s normal now for the annual storm of the century.
But once it wasn’t expected for wildfires to run amok from year to year,
Nor was it normal for storms to batter us relentlessly, bringing endless fear.

Remember when the poles and mountains were encased in snow and ice?
Of course you don’t, they’re melted now, victims of our human vice,
But once was an endless world of white, and source of waters that delight,
Now is darkness, rock, and despair, vanishing remnants of a world we smite.

Remember the world you’ve seen in your lifetime, not ancient years gone by,
Of course you don’t, you’re got lots to do, no time for concerns of sea or sky.
But once not even long ago, there was so much more life still clinging on,
Can a memory, a hope, a desire, a change, let us make sure not all is gone?