You smile and giggle,

Upending the bottle into the river

Laughing as the water sweeps it away.

I stand on the sidelines,

Knowing what you don’t realise,

Seeing what you can’t even visualise.

My face is wet, tears

Down each side

Mirrored, symmetrical

You think I’m strange

You have no idea.

I know what will happen

And now I know why.

When the river leaks

Into the seas, the oceans,

When the tainted water rampages

Through peoples lives,

Destroying, devastating

Annihilating.

Oh, one day you’ll see

And one day you’ll know.

And I stand there, in that one day

And look across the crowd:

Which one are you? The one

Looking shocked and outraged, or

The one who stands quietly

Head down, knowing

And everything clicks, doesn’t it?

Maybe you’ll even look up,

See me, and remember

What I said to you

And you will hang your head in shame.

But for today, you smile

Giggle, wave to me

And I am sad, because I know

And one day, you will know too.