"this is sixth form poetry, not Keats or Yeats"
As mountains break apart at snow-packed seams, They spew their powdered cargo without care; Destroying life with frozen, hoary streams, Their mass and scope now tied to warming air. The wounds of every broken, shattered limb, Reduces what was pure to something grim; The sound of snowflakes falling in the spring, A warning of … Read more
after David Attenborough Planet Earth II is thinner than ever Planet Earth II contains the following upgrades and bug fixes: Interfaith dialogue Patience Context Colour-blind police Infinite non-renewable energy sources Only your favourite foods Only your favourite people Only tolerable music 2016 removed as causing problems for some users Enhanced type face Compliments-only setting … Read more
Plant a tree Go Barbados and plant A palm tree Turn the water off Drink booze Take a shower with Someone else Take a shower with Rhianna This is a poem written by a ‘non-expert’, as part of a research project which used poetry to develop dialogue around environmental change. The theme of this poem … Read more
The Earth has changed, Because of what us humans do. The Earth has changed; Our hearts and minds now left estranged. Not all of us are feeling blue, Just those who think of nature too. The Earth has changed. This is a Rondelet, inspired by recent research which has explored the psychological effects of climate … Read more
Besides the tranquil sea and sun-bleached sand, The turtles find a place to make their nest; Probing the rolling crescents of the land, To find a place where incubation’s best. Now buried like a golf ball in a dune, The eggs begin to undergo great change; To their surroundings they must now attune, With gender … Read more
Within the frothy sprays and barren seas, Atop the very apex of our Earth, Anomalies are stirring in the breeze; Instead of mapping the expected dearth, The measurements reveal an unplanned birth Of sediments washed out by distant waves. Those melting Arctic shelves lacking in girth, Have caught the wind like echoes trapped in caves. … Read more
Sunbeams two-step over white blankets Gliding painlessly between worlds, Then stray too close to the edge Where looming Arctic waves Trap their latent heat; Ending the dance, And leaving Only Sea. This is a nonet, inspired by recent research that has provided the first quantitative evidence for the “albedo feedback” effect in the Arctic. It … Read more
The crops that we all need to sustain life Are weakened by upturns in CO2; Engaging in this atmospheric strife Means less nutritious protein can accrue. But will this cause distress for me or you? For those who have the least, the risks are high, Because of greenhouse gases that we spew. And as we … Read more
Antarctic sea shelves are diverse, With worms and seastars worth acclaim; Conditions are not too adverse, The sea life is never the same. But as temperatures start to rise, The cold barrier becomes lame; From the slopes new creatures arise, The sea life is never the same. Below nought point four degrees C, … Read more
When will we stop to think of what we do? We treat this land as if it is our own; Then all of our mistakes start to accrue, With consequences steady and unknown. The Arctic is not out there all alone, Sea ice protects us with its whitish hue; Without it Earth would sink … Read more