So much above
So many shapes and textures
So many shades of green
I cannot tell
How steep the *****
How high the bank
How far above the - manyness -
So much above
          me
While here I stand
Looking at the underneath

I could, if course, go up
Mount this hill
And stride the ridge
Within the birdsong and the freer air
Look down on all the little people
With their little lives
And me above
          them
Looking at the underneath

But here I stand
Admiring the reverse of each new leaf
Unturned
Where bugs crawl
And small creatures scutter
And only the occasional purple flower
Reaches down for a kiss
The green, the glory, the multitude
Is all above
Me
And I am here
Looking at the underneath

You were telling me about the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel and the necessity of fundamentally restructuring the socioeconomic system

                                       Oh look

the global fossil fuel resources

                                              a butterfly

natural gas developments

                                   it's fluttered down

Yes I'm listening...carbon capture

                          as if the sky were shedding petals

Regulations on emissions, I agree

                                               it's exactly the blue of

bridge fuel to renewables

                                       Look! There it goes

climate catastrophe

                                            I just have to capture

death sentence of our generation

                                                 just that moment when it
                                                    vanishes back into the blue
                                                         seems to become part of the sky

I gave up my seat
For the woman with the walker
And then the man with Parkinson's got on
With his wife and daughter
The woman (who had MS)
Offered her seat to the man with Parkinson's
He refused

The man, his wife and daughter (standing)
The woman with MS
And me (cross-legged on the floor)
We chatted
The daughter ate a cake
And cracked a joke
We smiled
And all the while
The other man (with the bike)
'Considerate Construction' on his chest
Sat there
In the disabled seat

The man with Parkinson's
His wife and daughter (standing)
The woman with MS (sitting with her walker)
And me (cross-legged on the floor)
We shared communication
Compassion
Community
And -yes- consideration

And I could have cried for
The other man
(The man with the bike)
Cold
Uncaring
Callous
What construct could carry
Mr Considerate Construction
Into the arms
Of co-existence?
To join
Our brief community
Created
In the carriage

Oh sad sweet child
Come take this little bird
Pink/grey fluff ball
Lollipop
Cobweb nester
Hedgerow jester
Hold her softly
Let her go

She and her crew
Sweet peeps
Bouncing through the tree tops

Sad child
Bad child
Mad child
Watch them go
Here
There
Where?
Into the blue sky
Child did she show you
The sweet blue sky?

I was very pleased to find
A fungus that sometimes (not always)
May contain algae
And so may be described
As partially lichenised

So when I can't make up my mind
I am just evolving me
I'm not divided
Undecided
Only naturalised

You tell me tales of Rio
Thailand, Fiji, Cairns and Rome
I know that you are thinking
I'm a boring stay-at-home
Here's me, so rough and scruffy
-You, impeccably dressed
I know that you expect that I'll
Be suitably impressed

But while you're clocking air miles
I'm planting trees at home
To **** up all the carbon
We have recklessly let go
And while you're busy shopping
Trying to buy your life some zest
I'm too busy laying hedges
Too be suitably impressed

I'm sorry, these things you boast of
Are not doing it for me
Not all the things that one can buy
Compare to just one tree
I really shouldn't show off - but
You see my life is truly blessed
With each flower, bird or bumble-bee
I'm suitably impressed

So stop boasting of your travels
Stop judging by the cost
If that is all you care about
Such treasures will be lost
Your obsession with your image
Your concern with money, wealth
Is ultimately certain
To affect your mental health
Just stop. Step outside into nature
It's a simply made request
I'm sure you'll see the wonder
And be suitably impressed

Taiba wears her coats like a queen
The room warms up when she enters
She drops laughter like glitter behind her
When she eats chips, I expect they feel honoured