A pause upon the world
After a while of cupboard clearing, shredding,
therapeutic scrub and scour
of this to keep and that discard
clothes hung in rows or neatly folded
shoes in pairs, dust in balls
dispelled, expelled all fluff and clutter
after a while the pile and file
so many tasks longtime un-done
filling the locked-down days
And blessed here our landscape’s lovely
yellow as yolks and striped in lime
spring confidently sprung, birdsong loud
and bees, ceaseless busy
But here’s the thing, the daily shock and bombshell
entire globe’s nightmare waking
microscopic enemy triumphant and multiplying
has us powerless, by the throat
and surely in the stillness sudden and the silence
such a pause upon the world
we must hear the planet breathing
hear the message, voiceless plea.
Think on all the mindless damage
earth despoiled in callous greed
over-warmed the mighty oceans
Arctic glaciers melting gone
emissions filth pollution
plastic massing, chokes the sea
this the moment virus moment
whole world paused, to listen, think
hear the warnings, planet breathing
hear the message, voiceless plea.
March 29th 2020, locked down Hounoux.
After a while of cupboard clearing, shredding,
therapeutic scrub and scour
of this to keep and that discard
clothes hung in rows or neatly folded
shoes in pairs, dust in balls
dispelled, expelled all fluff and clutter
after a while the pile and file
so many tasks longtime un-done
filling the locked-down days
And blessed here our landscape’s lovely
yellow as yolks and striped in lime
spring confidently sprung, birdsong loud
and bees, ceaseless busy
But here’s the thing, the daily shock and bombshell
entire globe’s nightmare waking
microscopic enemy triumphant and multiplying
has us powerless, by the throat
and surely in the stillness sudden and the silence
such a pause upon the world
we must hear the planet breathing
hear the message, voiceless plea.
Think on all the mindless damage
earth despoiled in callous greed
over-warmed the mighty oceans
Arctic glaciers melting gone
emissions filth pollution
plastic massing, chokes the sea
this the moment virus moment
whole world paused, to listen, think
hear the warnings, planet breathing
hear the message, voiceless plea.
March 29th 2020, locked down Hounoux.
You capture it so well Sally, reading it again after 5 weeks i experience a recognition of daily life that is becoming habitual. It is remarkable how quickly our abused planet has started to show signs that we really do have an opportunity to protect it's future.
ReplyDeleteA time to reflect and realise but i still feel so powerless, your poems during this crisis really help by putting into words the inconceivable .