Tag Archives: #NaPoWriMo

~ interregnum II ~

Today after a lot of frustrating time wasted I think I have finally solved my inability to upload photos to my WordPress blog on a daily basis.

It’s possibly been because I’ve had too many programs &/or tabs open in the background, but my computer is reasonably powerful in the RAM department & can run video & sound editing programs with ease, so if that is the case it suggests the new version of WordPress is pretty clunky.

None-the-less, I think the problem has been solved & these poems that have been slowly accumulating since the last interregnum (April 16) can now be cleared & the rest of the month dealt with day by day as intended. Fingers crossed.

Quick links to 9 days of posts.

https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-17-grans-lifetime-under-a-century/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-18-frackwit/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-19-inconveniences/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-20-solastalgia/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-21-sacrifice-zones/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-22-the-ark/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-23-bill-his-posse-of-nature-poets/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-24-the-overview-effect/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/26/day-25-the-actual-war-to-end-all-wars/

That’s that then; now I’ve got to actually write one for today. Back later I hope.

Day 16 — desperation

Today’s poem (ironically) is an offshoot of the one I was working on yesterday. This is more like the poem I had in my head when I began yesterday; even if it didn’t end up there.

desperation

the more i read
about what we need to change
if we are to change
climate change’s worst potential
outcomes
the more desperate & depressed 
i become

to the point where i am glad 
i haven’t brought kids
into the world we are daily
terradeforming

but thankfully
that madness passes
to be replaced
by the old ongoing
sadness

Day 15 — conceivably

Day 2 of the festival of grief.

conceivably 

in an ideal alternate universe : at least one of my unborn bairns
might by now have brought : their own bubbling babes 

into that mystic parallelium — so conceivably in that
painfully imagined utopia : i might even have grandkids

perhaps on that earth they started : acting decisively on climate change 
around the time my first born was : instead of stupidly kicking the can/

/i’m sorry : even in a dreamscape theoretical existence
i cannot conceive a humanity — which would have acted

Day 14 – drought

A topic of key concern for the driest continent on earth.

drought

Drought has been the dominant historical cause of hunger, starvation, and consequent death.

Paddy Morrow, Body Count

i. earth
in our new 2-4 degree*
warmer nearly-now world
droughts will range further
be more intense 
be more frequent
start sooner  end later
food supplies will be challenged
crops will fail
water will become a reason
we wage war

ii. other
the breeding seasons of 
pesky infectious diseases 
seeking to use us 
as habitat 
will lengthen 
because both bugs 
& bacteria 
breed faster 
in heat

*minimum

Day 13 – vision

vision

wise indigenous 
people the world 
over  value the earth 
more than we beasts
in the civilised west
— in their spiritual
connections to nature ;
beliefs that healthy people 
need healthy country ;
& the practise of making
decisions by considering
the impacts choices have  seven
generations into the future

whereas short sighted  CEOs
pollies  decision makers  &  spine
less  policy wonks  look no 
further  than their  bottom  line

Day 12 — compass points

Today the weather forecast for various parts of the Australian continent is like ticking off a climate change checklist.

compass points

in the south
rocks have been thrown
across roads
as the sea 
eats earth

in the west
houses have crumpled
technology tamed
dinghys beached on doorsteps
& dead fish
airdrowned on lawns

in the north & east
fires & floods fight
to see who can 
consume the most

while in the centre
dust impersonates 
storm clouds mocking
much needed rain 

destruction
is messy

Day 11 — airshows, et al

Altering behaviour to avert climate change is about more than factories emitting CO2 & driving to work in SUVs.

airshows, et al

today my brigade volunteered at the local airshow
(wednesday’s training: sobering instruction 
on the way to approach a burning aircraft)
& while it was eye-opening
having never attended an event like this
the whole time i kept thinking
how much fuel are these planes using
doing essentially meaningless flybys 
& stunt work & dropping skydivers 
from the clouds like prophets — 
then, when they turn on the “bonus” effect
of smoke oil to produce long chemtrails
of covid-spreading 5G goodness drifting 
toxic dust disappearing with the wind
all for the sole purpose of entertaining 
a few thousand fanatics & bored toddlers
repeat this all over with F1s & bike races
& rally cars & motocross & supercars
& all of it, all this relentless flaming
of fossil fuel … just, for entertainment

i know the correct way to approach a burning plane
but not, sadly, a burning planet

Day 10 — seroja

There’s a cyclone off WA just hanging round waiting to say hi to everyone. The fact that it’s in an area where cyclones don’t normally reach; or that it’s hard on the heels of the previous cyclone are all just little blips in the system, surely.

seroja

on the west coast
one cyclone is about to eat
the residue of the previous one

……………………………… wild air is flexing its muscles
……………………………….. ready to tear through homes lives
……………………………. power grids whatever gets in its way

……………………………… crazy rain & rare dangerous
…………………………..wind are lining up to greet the coast
……………………..& the ocean’s keen to explore as far as she can

………………………………… all in an area where such things have been fairly rare 
………………………………… but where they’re going to become all too common


~ interregnum ~

For reasons known only to WordPress, I have not been able to upload photos to my blog since April 9.

This has been extremely frustrating as I am constantly being told I am most likely offline — even as I am capable of doing a wide range of other internet based activity (including searching why WordPress photos are not loading, to no avail).

It has caused no end of swearing, cursing & full-on hissy fits which have upset my poor pooch immensely who doesn’t understand why I’m shouting at the stoopid light box. (Not that he really gets why I spend so much time staring at it when I could be throwing a ball, taking him for a walk, or best of all, feeding him treats.)

However, that said, I still have been writing a new poem every day; even if I haven’t been able to load them.

Finally today, for some reason the curse has lifted, & I have been able to upload everything. So I am spending the next couple of hours trying to unclog the backlog.

Thanks for your patience.

OMFG. Not again. My life for the past X days.

Quick links to 7 days of posts.

https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-10-seroja/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-11-airshows-et-al/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-12-compass-points/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-13-vision/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-14-drought/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-15-conceivably/
https://garethroi.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/day-16-desperation/