December 05 of every year is celebrated as World Soil Day by the global community of more than 60,000 soil scientists. According to the official IUSS website, World Soil Day is held on the said date since it is the birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, The King of Thailand, who has officially sanctioned the event.
As a tribute to the soil as a vital resource, I am posting below a poem written in 2007 by one of my former students at Visayas State University, Juvia P. Sueta. Juvy is now finishing her PhD at the Buesgen Institute, University of Goettingen, Germany.
The Soil Beneath
by Juvia P. Sueta
The soil tells a
fascinating story
of enduring patience
and great beauty.
Out of the hardened rock,
it changes into
an interesting mass
of sand, silt, and clay.
Exposed to the rain, wind
and sunshine, it
grows to maturity.
Time polished it,
throughout all history.
Out of its bosom,
the flowers bloom
and trees grow steadily.
And in its face,
the children play.
Below it;
scholars, artists,
beggars, and poets lay.
Great is the earth,
it cares and nourishes
the whole humanity.
It is nature’s best habitat,
sustaining creatures,
strong or tiny.
It bears witness,
to all that took place
throughout the ages.
It holds the secrets
of past or future events.
it is a treasure chest,
keeping nature’s wealth.
And so nothing compares
to the soil beneath.