Footprints

Posted on by Opher

Footprints

Footprints in the sand;

                Erased by waves;

                                Existing for brief moments.

A pattern, an artwork,

                That came out of nowhere

                                And was washed away.

A sandy beach

With no sign of life.

Waves lapping.

A seagull swooping

Through the eddies of the wind.

Devoid of people.

No feet.

Footprints

                Waves

                                No more feet.

Waves lapping

                Smooth sand

                                Then

No feet

                No seagull

                                No wind

                                                No waves

                                                                No sand.

Opher – 29.4.2024

The inspiration for my poem is the impermanence of life, of existence, of the universe.

Our whole lives are a fleeting moment, like footprints in the sand erased by the rising tide.

Even the universe will fade and die.

Coming to terms with that is life.

Filling the seconds with the wonder and art – the patterns around us, the wonder of a swooping bird.

Making the most of this brief interlude – living it to the full.

Poetry – We are all refugees

Posted on by Opher

We are all refugees

We are all refugees,

Mutated chimpanzees,

Wandering afar

In search of better lands.

Exploring the earth in small bands.

Adventurous or fearful,

Curious or desperate,

Our reasons are disparate.

Tracking the herds

Through the seasons,

We all have our reasons.

Fleeing war or poverty

Desperate for a new start;

We appeal to you with all our heart.

We’ve left our homes

And all we own,

Our friends and family,

And throw ourselves on your mercy.

Once, maybe long ago, you were just like me –

A refugee.

Setting out on a fraught journey,

Seeking something better

For your family.

You settled here,

Worked hard and made it your home.

Now you want to be left alone.

But we have undertaken this flight

Out of necessity,

Seeking liberty and safety.

Look kindly on us and what we could be

For you were once just like me – a refugee.

Opher 22.6.2019

Nobody really owns the land. We are all passing though. We borrow it for a while.

None of us have a right to the land.

All of us, at some point in time, migrated out of Africa. Perhaps in search of better lives? Perhaps fleeing violence or starvation? Perhaps just curious and adventurous?

Long ago in the past we settled and set up home.

Now there are millions displaced by the ugliness of war or starvation, seeking escape, seeking a better life.

Do we drive them away? Do we ignore their desperation? Do we become tribal and harden our hearts? Do we address the causes of the problem – the climate changes, the wars, the poverty? Or do we lend a helping hand?

Poetry -When Britain is no more

Posted on by Opher

When Britain is no more

What is it that we will leave behind

When Britain sinks below the waves

And the sun finally sets?

Democracy and freedom?

Fighting for the underdog?

Creating dreams with few regrets?

We are masters of the understatement.

We have the humour and the wit,

The empathy and daring

The bravery and grit.

All part of a culture to be proud of.

The best of what we are.

So put the bad stuff in the past.

The best will take us far.

When Britain sinks beneath the sea

We’ll know it will not have gone –

As long as people stand for their fellow man

And can still put those words to song.

Opher 11.12.2015

When Britain is no more

The British have always been a creative race. We like dance, song and music. We know how to have fun.  We are problem solvers and wonderers.

We’ve sailed the ocean and discovered the world. We’ve searched our hearts and discovered poems and songs.

We set up trade across the world and tried our hand at many things. Our genes were enriched with those of others from diverse parts of the world.

I set my Britishness upon the ideals of William Wilberforce, Wat Tyler, Mary Wollstonecraft, Emmeline Pankhurst, William Lovett, Henry Hetherington, the Swing rioters, Tolpuddle martyrs and all those who fought for liberty, social justice and better conditions. They stood for fairness, respect and equality. That’s Britishness for me.

The British speak up for justice in the face of brutal government or despotic tyranny.

The trade union movement grew out of that long struggle. It created a fairer society.

What we need now is another wave of social justice that sweeps aside the inequality. The rich are still getting richer at the expense of working people.

When Britain is no more I hope that those values of fairness, tolerance, compassion, democracy, equality and justice will still be a beacon for the world.

I hope that the values will be enshrined in song, music, poetry and drama. I hope that people will speak out with the same fury at injustice, racism, tyranny and misogyny. You defeat fascism with song and dance, ideas and a smile.