Tuesday 23 April 2019

Flying holiday

It’s hard to tell from way up here:
 the sea in sunshine sparkles blue
 and stretches far into the clear
 where misty white obscures the view
 of foam where ocean meets the land
 towards where boats with glistening trails
 approach the miles of yellow-white sand
 below the wisps cast by contrails
 which dissipate mysterious fumes
 invisible as wind in ancient sails
 to fill a gravity beholden room
 which some decry is off the rails
 while others will proclaim our doom
 and yet more still cry “fairytales!”


But all the way from way up high
 I soar above the rainbow fields
 the patchwork tulips please my eyes
 the oilseed boasts of bountiful yields
 which in my thirty years on earth
 have rarely ever seen decline
 but sadly this can’t spare the dearth
 of meadows in this land of mine
 where flowers once were wild and free
 unlike the wheat or cows or sheep
 and trees were spread abundantly
 though still I don’t find cause to weep


For happiness grows in the fields
   unnaturally sown
and from my vantage point up here
   I cannot be alone
in contemplating what we’ve lost
   but also what we’ve gained
and surely if we learned to fly

   we’ll conspire to make things better again.

Forum For the Future of Agriculture

‘What’s the role of the next generation?’
Asked a room full of white haired men:

‘Perhaps we might promote the youth
To lofty positions while passion has vigour?’

‘You’ll have your chance to have your say…
...In 18 years’ time when your hair is grey.’

‘Go figure.’

Notre Dame

Notre Dame burns,
and as the rich come out
My stomach churns
as if the church, without,
Would require these funds,
of malevolent benefactors
As the wealth, plundered,
resting in Vatican coffers
Remains unspent,
no remorse, no repent;
They claim to aid the needy,
Notre Dame burns and yet the greedy
Invest in a world
of paedophilia and hate.
Malevolent: money,
like the lady which burns,
singed on apathy
for the third world,
where unlike mine,
their stomachs churn
in need of infrastructure

and not a church.