Day 06 — sun dimming + dim summing

*****

Many methods for dealing with increasing temperatures are touted by people who have an interest in solving the climate changing crisis (I won’t say their interest is purely financial; although the advocates seem to favour different techno-fixes depending on which start-up/research project they’ve invested in). 

The geoengineering lingo for the various means of injecting particles into the atmosphere in order to reflect more sunlight back to space is known as Solar Radiation Management (SRM)

[The many other proposed techno-fixes are a whole other kettle of batshitcrazy that might form the basis of a different poem later this month, but today’s poem gonna focused solely on ones that deal with the sun — & the three short stanzas I’m sharing concern sulphate aerosols. Not the space mirrors. Not the billions of aluminised, hydrogen-filled balloons. Just the sulphate. Aerosol.]

This poem written, the topic for my Poetic Factoid practically wrote itself.

*****

dim the sun

spraying sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere
via specially techofitted airplanes

or to rush ludicrously to the other extreme 
via very long hoses hanging from helium balloons

even squirting it into the sky — somehow —
via cannons (yes, you read it right)

*****

dim the sum

“dim sum” can be translated 
as point of the heart
   — or touch the heart

dim sum is also best enjoyed 
with a large group of friends
   — explaining why i never eat it 

Day 26 – poem about not asking your mother for ideas

Cat Nap Over a Starry Night CROP

Late at night, and no poem written, I foolhardily ask my mother for a noun, verb & adjective. The resulting cat, spinning & fluffy do little to inspire. Immediately I regretted asking. My first off-the-cuff effort took only 10 seconds.

     the fluffy cat
     did not sit
     on the mat
     instead spent
     her time
     spinning

After 45 minutes of trying other things, I had nothing so quickly whipped up… It could get better next draft. (Couldn’t it?)

fluffy spinning cat

i knew the cat was not
from the same universe
as me almost as soon
as she showed up
on my mat

now i’m not normally
a cat fan but this one
was so fluffy i nearly
forgave it its
felinity

which is, of course,
the very worst thing
you can do to any cat
intergalactic
or not

she slowly smiled until
she disappeared
teeth last, popped back
climbed with all claws
up my thigh

dematerialised with a ping
returned sitting on
the window sill, squeaked
in a high pitched voice
& sent me to asleep

as i start to drift off
the stars start spinning
she pulls out a red balloon
& floats away up
into the sky

& curls up for a catnap
in the crescent moon