by Gary Maclean

Created on: April 27, 2008

THE RAINFOREST

What was the rainforest, what does it mean?
Is it a forest of water and rain?
How does one harvest the wood from within?
If there's nothing to lose or gain?

I'm not quite familiar with such a term
You say it used to be part of the earth?
It's been here forever since time first began
Since the world first took birth.

But it's disappearing now, is it still there?

What will happen when the forest is gone?
Will men continue to plunder and chop
Is it just dreams of forest foregone?

I'm told over an acre of rain forest is lost
Every minute we stand by and permit
Man to carelessly harvest the wood and the trees
And crimes against the inhabitants to commit

More than 5 million species call the forest their home
They live and they thrive in the woods
But we are losing over 130 species each day
We allow man to take trees to make their goods

Ten million Indians once lived in the forests
Today that number has dwindled
Less than 200,000 rainforest Indians remain
The deforestation a genesis has kindled

More than 100 drugs curing man's many ills
From ingredients found only in the rain forest
25% of these drugs fight man's cancer
The forest grows and nurtures these for us

Over 3000 fruits today grow in the forests
Yet 200 is all we understand
We've not yet given the forest it's due
Its time some of us take up a stand

The billions of acres of rainforest is called
The lungs of the great planet earth
More than 20% of all mankind's oxygen
Only begins to tell us of the forest's worth

The facts are so many the losses so great
We need to see the forest as not just trees
We humans are living in part due to forests
Now is the time to combine our expertise

If we don't act if we ignore and sit still
In 25 years it could be too late
The forests will be gone, the resources used up
There can be no question, no hesitation, no debate

Stand up for the rain forest, stand up and be counted
The potential is so amazing
The facts are all there, the path is so sure
To get to destruction we need no crystal gazing

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