Tag Archives: bad puns

Day 27 — soft denial + shrinking rivers

As I wrote yesterday, climate denial is growing more sophisticated as the science is becoming more & more accepted. Inactivists are changing their modus operandi from outright denial to more subtle tactics — downplaying — deflecting — dividing — delaying — & despair-mongering. The poem I was playing with yesterday has, as I predicted, fragmented into more manageable pieces. This poem is a result of that (& is the first in suite of poems about the above-mentioned topics).

The Poetic Factoid started with a fun pun (one of my favourites) but sadly went in a more sombre direction than I had intended following some research.

*****

the softening of denial

i.
even hard core : denial becomes unviable : when relentless evidence : piles up : of extreme weather events : daily impact them : via : headlines & news feeds : social media & tv screens : as well as real time : beyond the windows : in their : backyards & gardens : over the fence : down the road : next door : the next state : friends & family in other parts of the country : overseas : round the world : even the fates : of complete strangers : poorer : differently hued : cultured : begin : to impact 


*****

Day 27 — TIL about the shrinking Nile

more than an Egyptian river

60 feet 
60 feet every year 
so shrinks the delta shoreline  

50 percent
50 per cent over the current century
the standard deviation the flow likely to increase by

doubling the likelihood of flooding
doubling the likelihood of drought

increasing water scarcity
endangering food security

does that make it a zero-sum loss
or a double zero-sum gain

either way, won’t be long before we say
— De Nile was a river in Egypt 

Day 10 – let down (& queuing up)

NOTE: Two long exhausting workdays meant poems were written on Tues & Wed just not posted. Aiming to catch up now.

10 flat

Frustratingly, the universe slowed me down today (on my longest work day). But instead of allowing it to frustrate me (for too long), I played a little game with synonyms & metaphors to pass the time.

*****

deflated

feeling flat
sequence of entire
day scuppered
now under pressure
cancel first shift
plan how get to rest
done  what began as
bright bubbly morning
had its mood pricked
spare at home, also flat
insurance overdue, not
renewed resilience resilience
pump yourself up
can’t be blowed
too deflated to even finish

but sitting in solitude
on back road silence
waiting for a saviour
not really speaking to
slowly
stone of stillness
inner tube of tranquility
pneumatic resolve
bones of birds
lift me skywards
a gnostic spark
ascending 

 

 

BONUS POEM: April 10, 2018

After a scare with their prepaid Skip the Line tickets I finally saw my mother (Old Ma Jones) & my niece inside, when I thought, WTH I may as join the end of the queue & see how long it actually takes. Seemed a shame to be so close & not even try. 

I was starting to doubt the wisdom of that reasoning, however, when after 15 minutes we had not even turned the corner … to get to the corner … where we could see how far we still were from the entrance.

Nevertheless, in just over an hour, I was inside gazing on a truly exquisite work of art. This poem is not about that, though there are a couple of possible David-themed poems perculating around which may pop up here later this month. This pome is about:

*****

Standing in the line to see David with 10,000 others

have to keep
reminding my
small country
consciousness
that this is
only the start
of turista season
— the shoulder
before the peak
summer months
really get things
swinging

if this throng
is shoulder,
i’d loathe
being here
for belly season

10b queue real