Today’s poem follows on from Lawrence’s maxim from a couple of days ago that it’s better to reread one book six times than six books once. Part of this month’s plan is I’d like to try & get a set of (at least 6) seminal books that’ve played an influential part in my reading journey. This is the first I’ve written (this month at least; drafts of others have been begun previously).
The legacy of this book is I love reading (now) mostly non-fiction/memoir style books of the natural world. A year in the fens, the life cycle of a wood, birdwatchingwatching, etc etc. Those type of books. Note: I’ve played with the layout so you’ll need to click on the image to enlarge the get the full effect.
Today’s poetic factoid was learnt when typing in the term “Australia’s fiercest animal”
Day 5 Factoid – fierce Australian animals
Swooper-dooper
when asked : our fiercest creature most Aussies would say : it’s neither crocodile nor shark : koala nor cassowary
rather the common magpie who transforms : from harmless hippie collective : singing hymns round your house : to rabid riots of rage
to be fair : during spring’s hormonal madness : male magpie’s testicles enlarge up to 300%
How many Anzac Day poems can I write during NaPoWriMo? The theme of “climate change” overlayed on “Anzac Day” is challenging. I like the poem. It’s a first draft. My brain is pretty much fudge.
And the Poetic Factoid poem that was gonna be wow-kapow! short & simple … has ballooned out of control & may now be the beginning of a suite of 28 poems. Though not tonight.
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declaration
By continuing to megalomaniacally pursue corporate profit over planetary health fossil fuel companies have declared (& are continuing to declare) ! War ! with every new extreme extractive project they announce using ever riskier technologies
They are declaring ! War ! on the arctic on the Amazon, on Antartica too before long ! War ! on far off out-of-the-way places on our own backyards
! War ! on the oceans (in countless ways) on freshwater supplies everywhere rivers, groundwater, aquifers on our drinking water on the atmosphere
! War ! on nature on trees, forests, wetlands on every living creature
on us
they have declared !! WAR !!
only we — refuse to admit — they have
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Day 25 — TIL about the 28 LIVE conflicts in the world right now (20 odd more than I presumed)
too many conflicts
1. The Argument as we solemnly remember our participation in wars dating back 114 years plus it’s probably productive to pause a moment & realise there are currently 28 live conflicts around the world right now
some you will have heard of israel’s annexing of palestine perhaps russia’s invasion of ukraine syria, afghanistan, myanmar, iraq et cetera et cetera et cetera
my initial concept for this poem was to write haiku length potted histories of 5 or 6 current conflicts in the world — this before realising there were so so many
i mean i thought i was relatively up to date with what’s going on. i wasn’t. i would’ve score half. on a test. maybe. but this poem is already too long so instead all i’m going to do is list all 28 conflicts. as they appear. on the global conflict tracker website & request you to take the time to read each one. perhaps even visit the site to learn more.
(& keep your eyes out, for my potted history suite, forthcoming)
2. i. Americas Criminal Violence in Mexico Instability in the Northern Triangle Instability in Haiti Venezuela Crisis
ii. Asia Instability in Afghanistan Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea North Korea Crisis Instability in Pakistan Conflict Between India and Pakistan Confrontation Over Taiwan Civil War in Myanmar
iii. Europe and Eurasia War in Ukraine Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
iv. Middle East and North Africa Conflict in Syria Instability in Iraq Instability in Lebanon Conflict Between Turkey and Armed Kurdish Groups Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Civil Conflict in Libya War in Yemen Civil War in Sudan Violent Extremism in the Sahel Confrontation With Iran
v. Sub-Saharan Africa Conflict in the Central African Republic Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo Instability in South Sudan Conflict With Al-Shabaab in Somalia Conflict in Ethiopia
This is a poem/idea I’m pretty pleased with. It took a few goes to find exactly what worked best, but when I figured it out, I was extremely chuffed. It’s a visual poem which I think by using less, says a lot.
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Extractive Dominion Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28
1. xtractiv B fruitful and multiply, and r pl nish th arth and subdu it: and hav dominion ov r th fish of th s a and ov r th fowl of th air and ov r v ry living thing that mov th upon th arth.
2. x rac iv B frui ful and mul iply, and r pl nish h ar h and subdu i : and hav dominion ov r h fish of h s a and ov r h fowl of h air and ov r v ry living hing ha mov h upon h ar h.
3. x r c iv B frui ful nd mul iply, nd r pl nish h r h nd subdu i : nd h v dominion ov r h fish of h s nd ov r h fowl of h ir nd ov r v ry living hing h mov h upon h r h.
4. x r c v B fru ful nd mul ply, nd r pl n sh h r h nd subdu : nd h v dom n on ov r h f sh of h s nd ov r h fowl of h r nd ov r v ry l v ng h ng h mov h upon h r h.
5. x c v B f u ful nd mul ply, nd pl n sh h h nd subdu : nd h v dom n on ov h f sh of h s nd ov h fowl of h nd ov v y l v ng h ng h mov h upon h h.
6. x c B f u ful nd mul ply, nd pl n sh h h nd subdu : nd h dom n on o h f sh of h s nd o h fowl of h nd o y l ng h ng h mo h upon h h.
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Day 21 — TIL about conflicting information about Dominions
the duty of Dominions
in a strange : etymological irony : the angelic order : known as dominions : lords of the lower choirs : humanity : have been variously ascribed : a range of roles : within creation’s : governance
but most often : their mission is to administer : our universe : control the elements : supervise sun, moon, & stars : keep the planets rotating : oversee seasons : every aspect of nature : basically
it seems : they have become : derelict : in their duty
The Climate Change book I finished today concludes with several chapters on fertility — both the earth’s & the author’s. In so doing she mentions a beautiful word I have long loved & long wanted to use in a poem. That word is fallow. The poem isn’t quite there, though the verse I’m gonna share, is close. It also prompted a parallel poem instead of a Poetic Factoid.
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fallow
by growing single crops super-intensively the brutal industrial-agricultural industry has abandoned an ancient methodology for keeping the earth fertile — they forget fallow
so desperate are they for continuous every increasing crop yields they dump on (usually chemical) fertiliser, irrigate heavily & dump more chemicals on to kill the weeds, insects & other pests that thrive on monoculture
more traditional agricultural societies use natural methods to maintain soil fertility including allowing fields to lie fallow rest, regenerate and re-submit energy into the soil often by planting nitrogen-fixing legumes like beans into a variety of crops grown side by side.
but even if the moderns can’t do this they can allow fields to rest fallow let the dirt grow dormant, go quiet, move more slow rest recuperate recharge
fallow also works in humans
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Day 17 A special +1 poem
A love poem with a difference. 100 years.
fallowsoul
Souls, like farm fields, need to lie fallow for a time before returning richer than before so rest now in that far off fallow gold sea — & may we meet again in the years that follow
Shakespeare’s birthday/deathday. Each year I try to write something Bill-affiliated. This can be made harder by having a theme superimposed over the top of it (ie, like pandemics or climate change) but at least it forces me to think outside a few boxes for some green inspiration. Which is always a good thing. Need to apologise in advance for the long pome, I didn’t have the time to write a short poem.
If only poets had the power that multinational corporations have to effect change in the world.
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Bill S & his posse of Nature Poets
Bill being a country boy born & bred was a big lover of nature dropping dozens of wildflowers animals, trees, natural events 63 birds, & more into his plays ; with whimsical abandon he set them in forests, on coasts, on rugged heaths — if he were writing today climate change would be his bent
so too Bill Blake’s rage against dark Satanic Mills which were pumping his pristine English skies full of black soot & were, after all, the beginning of man-made climate change
the posse is being assembled
Lawrence & his dark forest soul would definitely be there … with his animalistic magic of snakes & bats & pansies
a third Bill, Wordsworth knew nature was divine & believed true happiness was achieved when existing in harmony with it, always happy to wax lyrical about daffodils, clouds, & Tintern Abbey
youthful firebrand Keats loved nature’s vibrant scents & colours & cool calming water a man who happily sang odes to Nightingales, Autumn, & the Sea would get in on this action
although somewhat simpler in scope another John (Clare) less complex & less well known marvellously describes the natural world & rural life in affectionate vignettes of Winter Evening, Wood Pictures in Summer, & the Little Trotty Wagtail
Emerson’s belief that we understand truth only by studying the song of nature & Humblebees & Snow Storms
& Shelley’s awareness she destroys as well as creates; singing odes to the West Wind, Skylarks & Mont Blanc
& Dickinson finding awe in everything Light Existing In Spring Birds coming down the Walk
& Frost whose name suggests he should be though not a pure nature poet loved Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
many modern poets too are in the posse
the marvellous Mary Oliver who instills poems with wonder-filled images drawn from daily walks near her home Wild Geese & Journeys on Summer Days
& Gary Snyder an activist who speaks with an ancient voice but modern tongue of fertile soil, animal magic, the power of solitude, rebirth; the love & ecstasy of the dance & Mountains and Rivers Without End
but as wonderful as all these nature loving poets are what we really need is for everyone to remember they too are poets, alive in this bleak eternal universe only because our home is a delicately crafted paean to life
Inspired by a line of Warren Buffet’s when he was pretending to be the billionaire Green Messiah who would save us all.
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The Ark
let’s assume : just for a moment : that anthropomorphic climate change : is absolutely : fair dinkum : ’od’sblood : a serious thing : something : worth worrying about : & after all : the odds are looking : pretty good : or bad : depending on : your linguistic bent : that they are :: surely : if we’re going : to make a mistake : let’s err : on the side of caution : on the side : of the planet : of the only planet we have : y’know : just to be safe
to use a metaphor : that doesn’t entirely : hold water : but might be appealing : to more conservative minded : perusers of poetry : if you have : any common sense : you have to build : the ark : before : the rains come : no good : still hammering : it all together : even as : the flood waters : lap your thighs
but truthfully : we need : more than a single Ark : remember Noah’s : was built : not to hold : everyone : on earth : only the privileged : few
hmmmm : if only : there was something : big enough : that could : sustain : us : all
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
in the 25 dusky kilometres between work’s end
& my welcoming door
i choose the slower route the winding back way
through hills
by so doing, i glimpse three glitteringly furred foxes;
half a dozen twitchy roos;
two scraps of darkness reveal themselves as bats;
a crossing echidna forces brakes;
& a stealth owl i can’t identify skims the windscreen in an unwise game of chicken
& although these are all
common enough creatures
for my part of the earth
every one ticks the box
inside my greengrass heart
labelled TINY THRILL
BONUS POEM: April 2, 2018
Wandering round Rome’s big Roman attractions (the Flavian Amphitheatre, Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, the Forum) has been somewhat surreal. I loved classics since a kid; read countless histories & fictions set there, that to experience them firsthand was bliss (despite the blisters, boom, you’re welcome).
But this is the subject of a separate poem. What you get today is somewhat lighter & more whimsical 😬.
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Selfie Schtick
something about me
clearly implies trust
(or an ability to fake it photographically)
for today, on top
of Palatine Hill,
i’ve been requested
to supplant the selfie stick
almost a dozen times
i quickly developed my own schtick
by the second request
— a trio of American
boys who laughed at the result
which of course
meant the joke
grew with exposure till its inevitable demise with a Russian (perhaps) family
who failed to see
the humour in having one photo of my face
& two blurry ones
of their own four
(so poorly framed owing to gross self congratulation with my cheekiness)
i neglected to include the Vatican in the background
Another poem crossed off the ToDoList. It’s been a pretty successful NaPoWriMo in that regard; but it is weird how things rarely turn out the way you thought they might. I dunno if other poets manage to craft poems as they first envisage them, but for me they often go off in a different direction. Not sure if that’s cos I’m too lazy to keep them on track or what …
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fuming suburbia
at my previous residence my neighbours
considered me lazy because i wasn’t a fan
of leafraking, grassclipping or any activities
that fought old ma nature’s inbuilt supremacy
here: the local gardeners get their revenge
by deliberately staggering their duties
over ev-ree-thing — weed whackers at 20
paces, a duelling banjos for the bourgeoisie
forget the 24-hour news cycle, ours is a 7-day
mowing cycle cos weekends are no respite
— sure, the professionals may have gone
… but that’s when amateur hour begins
how hard would it be for us all to sit down
& schedule a day, say from 11am-1pm
— suddenly Whippersnipper Wednesday
is born & we all. just. get. it. done…
granted it’d be a crazynoisy couple of hours
but at least it leaves the rest of the week
in blessed peace — seriously, there can’t be
that much kikuyu in my damn street
Just a quick heads up to let folks know that one of my poems was published in yesterday’s Eureka Street. Link here.
I’d like to say it’s a cleverly timed poem which combines two very hot topics in the news ATM — terrorism (internal) & climate change — so therefore well done, Mr Finger On The Pulse Of Contemporary Issues Poet Of The People …
… but the fact it’s appeared when it has, is probably just a coinkydink.
Hope you enjoy it…
(No doubt I’ll enjoy the cheque when it arrives. It may even been in double figures 🙂 )
gareth roi poet boi 