A little bit of England
Hidden away, to the side of the road,
By the side of the canal,
Next to the river,
There is a little area of swampy land, with ponds,
Trees, reeds and bushes.
Nobody wanted it.
It could not be farmed.
It could not be built on.
It was a tiny bit of England
Left untouched.
Home to frogs and toads, to fish, birds and voles.
Where butterflies and bees play,
Snakes slither and fish dart
As herons fish and ducks dabble.
It is a tiny haven,
A piece of England
Left intact from days gone by.
Once it was all like this
Now this smidgen has to do,
To provide us with a glimpse
Of what once was everywhere.
Opher – 23.4.2020
Somehow I believe we have got the balance wrong. We have become too numerous, too invasive. We have not managed to find the balance. We are destroying too much of the natural environment.
The world we live in is unnatural. Even the green fields are planted, sprayed and devoid of life. We have taken over every habitat. From the tops of the mountains to the shores of the seas we swarm in great numbers and destroy or disturb the natural ecosystem.
Once England was covered in forest. There were glades, heathland, moors, swamps, streams, ponds and rivers. It swarmed with life – everything from wolves and bears to frogs and newts. It was complex, vital and so alive.
We have tamed it – chopped down the forests and killed the beavers, wolves and bears. What we now have is the tiny rump of what used to be. If we are not careful that will be destroyed too. Nature will just be the crows, pigeons, seagulls and foxes, which are able to exploit the human environment.
To stumble across a tiny area of nature, a vestige of swamp and river, so full of creatures, was so wonderful. It reminded me of what the whole of Britain was once like ……… and what we have all lost.