Apr 2020
Where were you the day she came?
the rain, to wash away our fear
and folly
you told us to believe, so we saw
what you saw, nothing
no farmer lost
amongst the dust
no open mouths
without a sound
no fog of grey
decay, lingering
Our eyes were blinded by the prize
cheap, plastic toys
long discarded
an ease to travel, fast
to destinations
now lost
lives enriched
by cheaper costs
time saved,
drank more, worked more, ate more
talked less
The answers lay, cupped
in our hands, but
as always, we knew best
they pleaded, begged
for us to stop,
we replied with higher walls
taller towers, until
the screams became shadows
impotent
as we hacked and chopped
men possessed
on poisoned lands
until all, took its toll
The wheat grew thin
the cattle fell,
the tides withdrew, revealed
our barren shores
under, as always
the unforgiving star
The city streets, empty now
those long gone,
mere footprints
save a lucky few
worn and tested
waiting, hoping for this day
the day she breathes again
as parched like Lazarus, refreshed
the earth, with its tiny shoots believes
finally, a new day will dawn
the rain, to wash away our fear
and folly
you told us to believe, so we saw
what you saw, nothing
no farmer lost
amongst the dust
no open mouths
without a sound
no fog of grey
decay, lingering
Our eyes were blinded by the prize
cheap, plastic toys
long discarded
an ease to travel, fast
to destinations
now lost
lives enriched
by cheaper costs
time saved,
drank more, worked more, ate more
talked less
The answers lay, cupped
in our hands, but
as always, we knew best
they pleaded, begged
for us to stop,
we replied with higher walls
taller towers, until
the screams became shadows
impotent
as we hacked and chopped
men possessed
on poisoned lands
until all, took its toll
The wheat grew thin
the cattle fell,
the tides withdrew, revealed
our barren shores
under, as always
the unforgiving star
The city streets, empty now
those long gone,
mere footprints
save a lucky few
worn and tested
waiting, hoping for this day
the day she breathes again
as parched like Lazarus, refreshed
the earth, with its tiny shoots believes
finally, a new day will dawn
I've always loved the rain, but prefer to be inside watching it lash down the window than out in the middle of the park, still a good fifteen minutes away from the front door. But there is a point when you get so wet that you actually give up caring about trying to be dry and just embrace the fact that the weather has won this particular battle! Which is how this poem started out; drenched to the skin and actually in complete awe of the power of Nature, which made me think of climate change which was really starting to make the news at the time, with the Extinction Rebellion protests.
