A Narrow Belt of Colour

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A Narrow Belt of Colour

A narrow belt of bright colour on the sea of monoclonal green;

An elongated oasis of life among the sterilised land;

A thin strand.

Within these tiny parameters,

Vestiges of what once was,

Nature makes its last stand.

Opher 7.6.2021

As I went for my daily walk here in early June I was heartened by the thick swathes of flowers on the verge and hedgerows of the country lane.

The other side of the hedge was a great sweeping field of wheat – identical plants, sown in rows, all the same age, carefully supplied with nutrients, sprayed with pesticide and herbicide and nurtured into a huge sweeping green desert in which nothing else can live.

The other side of the hedge was a sanitised nightmare.

One day, when we are gone, the verges and hedgerows will reclaim the fields, the vestiges will expand to become all, and the land will spring back to life again.

Our Future

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Our Future

This is our future.

                We tell it as it is;

                                As we see it.

For we know.

All the money in the world

                Is not worth the future

                                Of the planet –

Our heritage.

Opher – 22.4.2021

Too many people are making too much money out of destroying the planet.

They put profit before the future.

They do not care about the damage they do.

They spread their propaganda of denial.

They are evil.

Poetry – Every Day Should be Earth Day

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Every Day Should be Earth Day

Arcing through space

On a huge ball of molten rock

Whose surface has set into a thin crust,

Under which is a superheated liquid magma.

In the atmosphere

Of a star, a sphere,

A raging torrent of nuclear fusion and fission.

Bombarded with energy

Heat, light, UV and gamma,

Protected by a delicate magnetic field

And thin band of oxygenated atmosphere.

Based on the water gleaned

From crashing comets,

From organic molecules

Incredibly created spontaneously

Through that bombardment of energy.

Evolving through billions of years

To reach this amazing point in time

When we are able to appreciate

The wonder of our own astounding existence.

Today is a day to consider our place in the vast Milky Way

The fact that we can stand here

And question the universe,

To be alive and able to think, feel and experience,

For every day is really Earth Day.

Opher – 22.4.2020

Once the planet was huge and travel took forever. Once human beings were dispersed in bands of hunter gatherers. Once our numbers were small and our impact tiny.

They used to believe the world and its resources were infinity. They slaughtered animals with impunity.

They used to believe that the forest were so vast we could chop them down forever and never reach the end.

Now our numbers are immense, our impact is enormous, the forest and animals are dwindling fast.

Unless we take decisive action we will lose the whole world.

What a sad state of affairs!

Every day should be Earth Day. Compassionate people should fight for the future!

Poetry – Gaia Breathes

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Gaia Breathes

A gentle sigh through the long grass,

Sending ripples across the meadows

Like waves across a pond,

Carrying the whispers of eras.

A roaring in the trees

Shaking branches and bending mighty trunks

Like the crash of great rollers on a shingle beach;

The roar of dragons.

Gaia breathes.

Driven by sun,

Ruffling the hair,

Giving relief,

Driving the clouds

To replenish the land,

Bringing back life,

Gaia breathes.

Opher – 20.4.2020

As I went on my daily walk a gentle warm breeze was blowing in my face. I watched the clouds scurry across the sky and hoped I wouldn’t get rained on.

I watched the breeze move across the fields rippling the grass. I heard the wind rattling the leaves in the trees.

It felt like the breath of a living thing.

Poetry – Helpless

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Helpless

Despite the arrogance and bluster of man,

When Gaia shakes her mantle

We are helpless.

When fame and wealth count for little

And power is brought down,

We are at the mercy

Of nature’s whim.

We’ve ripped her, torn her and burnt her,

We’ve plundered, slain and scorned her,

But when she stirs,

To shake loose the parasites

That cause the irritation,

We are helpless

And our power counts for nothing.

Beware! The planet lives

And we are but microbes on its skin.

Beware!! She prepares the antibiotic

That will bring our onslaught

To an end.

For she is not helpless!

Opher – 12.4.2020

It feels like Gaia is stirring, sending out a warning. Mother Nature will not be ignored. She is slow to act but when she does it is decisive.

Perhaps the disastrous reign of man is nearing its end?

Perhaps nature has decided we are too destructive, too stupid and too slow to realise the damage we are doing.

Gaia is stirring.

Take heed. Next time she will finish the job.

Poetry – A Green Lung full of Fire

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A Green Lung full of Fire

A great green lung full of fire.

Nature consumed by greed,

Killed by inequality.

Despite the fact that there’s more than enough

They always want more.

It’s an addiction.

While eight billion mouths need feeding

There are those

Who seek to exploit

Without a thought

For their effect on the planet.

It’s complete madness.

As climate changes and species die

The deniers

Ignore experts and scientists

In the face of overwhelming evidence.

It’s a tragedy.

Opher – 1.3.2020

I was particularly thinking of Trump when I wrote this. To me he exemplifies the attitude. As soon as he came into office he started slashing science budgets, disbanding environmental monitoring groups and doing away with environmental protection legislation. He knew that by doing that he could stimulate the economy. To him it was a no-brainer. Short-term gain. More money to be made.

The long-term effects of these policies were immaterial. He did not care about global warming, destruction of the environment or the effects of pollution on our children. All that mattered was the money.

And where does all this wealth go?

Through tax cuts into the pockets of the extremely rich. Only a small proportion goes to the poor.

Who pays the price for the catastrophe coming down the years?

You can bet it won’t be the wealthy.

Poetry – Mother Nature

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Mother Nature

Pirouetting through the stars

                Twirling and spinning

                                Through the sky.

Her dress of green,

                Trailing over hills,

                                Through forests

                                                And seas.

Her caress bringing creatures to life.

From ice to fire,

                Her body is alive

                                With mystic energy

Stretching over aeons,

                Inducing

                                Enticing,

                                                Evolving

From simplicity to complexity,

                From nothing to something.

She smiles upon the universe,

                Unique and fantastical.

She cavorts through the ages

                Breathing life into the very rock.

Her dreams

                Fill the air,

                                The sea

                                                And the land.

Her breath drives the wind.

                Her tears fill rivers and oceans.

                                Her laughter brings forth laughter.

Her smile lights the sky.

Wounded by her own children

                She continues to give

                                Without blame.

Opher 28.2.2020

This is a personification of nature. There has been much talk of Gaia exacting her revenge through Covid-19. Sending us a warning to change our ways or else, next time, it will be much worse.

The world is such a place of beauty.

Mother Nature is a thing of great wonder. It greatly upset me to see the mess we are making of the planet.

I’ve travelled the world and seen the destruction, pollution and devastation we leave in our wake. It is appalling.

If we stand back and look at the majesty of nature – it is breath-taking. Surely we should be doing all within our power to protect it>

Mother Nature is a lovely lady.

Poetry – I Fell In Love

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I Fell In Love

I fell in love with you

                The first time

                                My eyes opened;

As you swirled and spun

                In your green and blue raiment,

With your white wisps

                Of gossamer

                                Covering your curves.

I fell in love with you

                As seasons changed

                                The colours of your clothes,

As creature played

                Among the fabric

                                Of your dress,

As night and day

                Played with the

                                Shadows on your face.

I fell in love with you.

Opher – 16.12.2019

This is my ode to the planet, to nature, the mother of us all; an ode to the majesty and beauty of our maternal home.

What is there not to love about such splendour, such grace and such mystery?

It is an honour to call this home, to look out in wonder at a whole universe.

It is incredible to close ones eyes and imagine us spinning through space in this cosmic dance around the sun, around the galaxy, through the cosmos.

It blows my mind.