Poetry – I Have A Dream Too

Posted on by Opher

I Have A Dream Too

I have a dream.

That one day the people of different nations will come together in unity;

That little girls and little boys of different countries, different colours, different creeds, will play together as equals;

That they will grow to value each other for their qualities and not despise each other for their differences.

One day I hope a person’s colour and beliefs will cease to create barriers;

That those prejudices, fears and hate of the past will no longer exist.

I have a dream of a new world where nationality and patriotism are big enough to encompass all people;

Where every single person is equally important.

I have a dream of a world where people care for each other and the planet;

Where we all live in harmony with nature and respect living creatures;

A world in which we will no longer rape the planet or act irresponsibly out of greed or ignorance.

I have a dream of a world without barriers – a kinder, wiser and more caring world.

We can all dream.

And sometimes dreams can come true!

Opher 2.12.2018

I wrote this with a nod to Martin Luther King.

If we wish to build something better we first have to have a dream, a vision to work towards. We might never get to that mountain top but at least we can start the journey. Any improvement, no matter how small, is never-the-less an improvement.

Without a dream we are floundering and are led by the wrong leaders.

Poetry – Open Your Eyes

Posted on by Opher

Open Your Eyes

We open our eyes into a wondrous place;

Close them and it is gone.

What gives it meaning?

‘Curing the sick,’

Says the physician,

Operating on the tiny child.

‘Giving life to the dying,

Hope to the parents,

Relief to those in pain.

That provides the meaning.’

Understanding the universe,’

Says the scientist,

Solving the problems of the world.

‘Finding what makes the atoms tick,

Where we came from

And the secrets in the depths of space.

That provides the meaning.’

‘Making something beautiful,’

Says the artist,

Creating something unique.

‘Crafting a scene so wondrous

That it moves the soul

And opens the heart to love.

That provides the meaning.’

‘Caring for those in need,’

Says the nurse,

Smoothing the hair from the troubled brow.

‘Providing comfort

From the stress and strain,

From pain and fear.

That provides the meaning.’

‘Worshipping God,’

Says the Bishop

On her knees in prayer.

‘Giving thanks for our lives,

The wonders of the universe

And hope for all eternity.

That is what gives life meaning.’

‘Living in the wonder of the moment,’

Says the atheist.

‘Taking pleasure in the awe

Of each and every moment

And wanting nothing more.

That is what gives life meaning.

We open our eyes into a wondrous place;

Close them and it is gone.

What gives it meaning?

Opher 25.7.2018

Sometimes it is important to reflect that life is short and means different things to different people.

Perhaps there is no meaning other than what we give it?

All I know is that we are born; open our eyes into a place of wonder; live our lives, and then close our eyes and it is gone.

What takes place in between is a product of our desires, our cultural perspective, our indoctrination, our free will and our experiences. Perhaps nothing more.

We live in a moment. We can choose what we make of that.

Poetry – Two Swifts Shrieking

Posted on by Opher

Two Swifts Shrieking

Two swifts wheeling in the sky

Shrieking with delight –

Not missing their brethren?

In days not long gone

Those same skies

Were full of flocks of screaming swifts.

The air, now a desert,

Teemed with insects

That were scooped with such glee.

There was enough

For many swifts

To gorge themselves and feed their chicks.

Now those insects

Are hard to find

And the future is looking dim.

Do they now shriek with delight or horror?

Opher 23.6.2018

It is so noticeable to me that the skies are emptying. We were so used to seeing the swifts, swallows and house martins, the filter feeders of the skies, putting on their aerial displays.

Where once there were flocks now they appear in pairs. The flocks have gone.

The skies that once buzzed with insects are empty. The insects have gone. There is no food.

The barns and house eaves that provided nesting sites are all knocked down, cleaned up and gone.

It is hard to believe the changes that have taken place in the space of one lifetime.

Were those two swifts really shrieking with delight! I feel they cry in desperation.

Poetry – Life that hopes

Posted on by Opher

Life that hopes

Light, heat and love,

Water and air,

Chemicals and proteins,

Feather, scale and hair;

Dreams and aspirations,

Hope

To dare to care.

Opher 18.5.2016

Life that hopes

We are all related – all life – all stemming from one single miraculous cell.

Evolution has caused us to fan out into a spectrum of possibility. Our variety is immense and wondrous.

We call ourselves nature.

We are not apart from nature, we are part.

I was thinking about the components of life when I wrote this poem. How, from the basic elements of water, chemistry, light, heat and air, we have evolved this amazing spectrum of complexity.

We dream and aspire to build, create and destroy. We kill and give life. We nurture and we inflict pain.

My wish is that I can but hope that our caring, tolerant, wise side will prevail over our cruel and vicious mean side.

It is the eternal battle of light and dark.

I can but offer hope. I think we’ll do it.

Poetry – Naïve

Posted on by Opher

Naïve

I’ve always been naïve.

It’s my greatest attribute.

Innocent and idealistic –

According to repute.

But I possess inbuilt cynicism

That I bring to bear.

It constrains my natural idealism

And makes me more aware.

Opher – 7.11.2020

My anger at what is happening around me, the wanton destruction, the control and manipulation, the propaganda and lies, the pillaging of nature, is underpinned by the vestiges of optimism.

Surely people care enough about nature to want to protect it?

Surely people aren’t stupid enough to allow conmen and media lies to dictate their views?

My hope lies in education – good education that enables individuals to discern and think.

Poetry – The Only Game In Town

Posted on by Opher

The Only Game In Town

Starting out on the fertile plains,

Stifling, holding us down,

Like smothering glue.

Spreading – like a pandemic – quickly,

Infecting the whole planet.

Robbing us of freedom,

Inoculating us with madness,

Imposing hierarchy,

Now too late for us to ban it.

With eight billion progeny

Enslaved within the enterprise

We laughingly call progress,

We are trapped.

Worshipping the diety

Entombed in the cathedral of the WTO,

From which there is no egress.

We can only observe with mounting sadness

As the machine devours

The very earth we stand upon

Trees and creatures

Transformed into worthless cash.

With nothing left to hand on.

In goes life

Out comes plastic

Concrete and sterility.

Transforming

Life to death

The opposite of fertility.

It’s the only game in town.

Opher – 7.11.2020

When we invented agriculture we had no idea what a mess we would be getting ourselves into. We did not realise we’d be inventing kings, religions, nations, wars and money. We thought we were making life easier and more secure.

We lost our relationship with nature, our place in the cycle. We lost harmony and hope. We gained toil, debt and bosses.

The tipping point is long past. There is no return. Eight billion people cannot live as we once lived. The machine is all-consuming.

When it has devoured the planet it will consume us.