I laid my bones down to rest
An airy night, dark and quiet,
When a thought swept over me
I was still awake
When I heard it
I heard it screech
A cold voice, not far from me
I paused, listened
A neighbor coughed from the next flat and bothered it
So quietness stayed for a while
Another screech
I kept mute to hear it speak…
‘Ihttttcchh, what a painful world,
A disturbed place, a confused one,
Less trees, lesser shrubs
Less green places for little fauns
Dark places, carbon profits
Hotter days and nights
And yet all they do is sit
To clamour for more wealth!’
I could feel her pain
I could almost touch it
I see myself in her shoes
And wonder what may become
Of this beautiful Earth
***
Dedicated to those who genuinely fight to keep the Earth from dying and to all trees and shrubs in the forests, that still sustain human life, everywhere, anywhere.