On Fire

The eye of Sauron.

At least, that's what I thought. What else would come to mind?

In the midst of the dolphins' home, a fiery whirlwind rages, opening a forbidden portal to the depths below. Flames choke the sea, igniting gas bubbles as they rise and burst. The waves writhe and quiver in response, steam hissing and spilling over a brim that does not exist. She cries for help, churning angrily and helplessly in the wake of mankind.

Soon, the tranquil blue is replaced with ashen grey. Yet the smoldering core is still visible, burning brighter than humanity's will to keep our Mother alive.

The juxtaposition of the colors is beautiful in a way. It doesn't matter. She never wanted us to find beauty in this way.

She wished for us to marvel at the design in nautilus shells, and the patterns we saw in flower petals.

She wished for us to look upwards in the Arctic, and exclaim in surprise when we watched the blue-green lights dance across the sky at her will.

She wished for us to scale and praise the intricacy of her snow-capped mountains, her pride and joy.

And she wished for us to reconnect with her one day, our flesh and bone mingling with hers as she enveloped us into her loving embrace.

But now she crumbles, leaves falling like tears from her eyes. She watches the Earth On Fire and wonders, was it ever worth it? Her muscles relax, and her bloodshot eyes close. Our Mother is tired. If we listen, we can hear her heart beat faintly, like the wings of a moth, as she is torn apart limb by limb. Day by day. Action by action.

I guess inaction is more fitting, really. We've all but killed her.

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Note: I know it's not completely on theme, but I liked the way it was going and still think it fits the prompt rather well :) Inspired by the Gulf of Mexico gas leak in 2021.