A WINTER’S TAIL

Brrr! It’s cold,
my bones are getting very old,
the frost, it bites,
never, ever, any respite,
snow falling, at first a hoot,
then like frozen parachutes,
storm troopers of winter’s siege,
a massive, mighty blizzard krieg;
Shelter comes so easily,
blazing fire so good to see,
warming my body through and through,
flames protecting from winter flu;
Although it looks so beautiful,
so good, the occasional winter’s lull,
but not so good as the winter’s tail,
until it comes, I will prevail,
and when it’s here I will sing,
hurry soon, dear Spring

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

ECO-CINQUAIN

Planet
our habitat
nurtures everything good
balance, symbiosis, and us
vandals

Big wind
warming air flow
battered climate rising
faces contorted, nothing done
just talk

Fossil
just a dead life
extracted, fill her up
useless usefulness bringing on
dead life

Cuddly
animal life
made human, sentiment
we love them, we need them, then we
kill them

(c) Anthony North, December 2008

THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Why is it that we always forget,
the greatest present created yet?
Planet Earth which aids us so,
we’re always on her, wherever we go;
So this Christmas let’s remember,
and best wishes we can surely send her,
thanking her for nurturing us,
letting life go with a buzz;
Send a gift of goodwill, true,
fuelled with eco-things we can do,
changing the environment to high from low,
and wrap her up with a green bow

(c) Anthony North, December 2008

TREE VIBES

Just a tree, he said to me,
and whilst we are in sympathy,
a tree’s a tree and I am me,
allowing me to look with glee;
But careful as you go too near,
sure that you’ve nothing to fear,
feel the vibes and you’ll shed a tear,
as to why, you’re not a seer;
Yet, from man, to animal, to tree, to Moon,
we are as one, without gloom,
as long as we understand nature’s interweaving loom,
and not fear union as our doom;
And as it’s branches stretch, reach out,
suddenly we sense there is no doubt,
that we and it are as one redoubt,
remember this, or they’ll wipe us out

(c) Anthony North, December 2008

PHANTOMS & SHADOWS

Shadows fall upon mind, bringing melancholy;
Memories of a time now gone,
cripple the sense of completion;
What was good, now only phantoms, unbalanced,
defeating, destroying …

Remembrance fading of eons past,
before he walked on two legs,
grasped thought,
produced tech,
did this to me,
your planet

A SUMMER’S DAY

The sun, it burns, so very bright,
enabling life, no respite,
forever glowing, bringing heat,
making the planet so complete;
A summer’s day is testament to this,
we look up, feel total bliss,
happy that it will go on forever,
allowing for our great endeavour;
yet summer days can come too soon,
bringing heat to make us swoon,
especially if we change the air,
trapping sunlight, causing despair,
’til summer’s day will never end,
and our endeavours go on to lend,
the seed of destruction of an angry sun,
burnt to a crisp, life’s no longer fun

(c) Anthony North, January 2009

ORGAN NICK

Don’t you love him, he plays so well,
organ or piano, he’s just swell,
arranging notes in harmony,
his own remarkable symphony;
Music is so sublime and true,
its vibes washing over you,
the musician playing in sympathy,
everything fits organically;
An audial reflection of nature’s chime,
all as one, a perfect rhyme;
We love our music attuned and pure,
so why make nature’s music poor?

(c) Anthony North, January 2009

HOME PLANET

I look to the sky, the blue, blue sky,
a golden orb, so very high

Home …
So why do I have a carbon footprint?

I look to the wild, nature’s raw child,
flora and fauna, so mild

Home …
So why do I allow extinction?

I look to my lifestyle, all the while,
hoping to live, spawn child

Home …
So why do I allow pollution?

I look to the future, I don’t want it to change,
so why do I …?
Why do I collude?

Home
Leave it alone
It’s my …

Home

(c) Anthony North, September 2008

OUR FUTURE IS SPACE

Space, space, there’s stars to chase,
the ultimate role of the human race;
What are we doing sat on this Earth,
stuck in a frightful, boring dearth,
of courage, of vigour, of get up and go,
infatuated by celebs called so and so;
Wake up mankind! Realise your mission,
there’s more to life than your car’s tranmission;
Time to stop selfishness, mass consumerism, too,
time for daring, curiosity to renew;
So gather the CEOs and other toffs,
put ‘em in a rocket, and blast ‘em off!

(c) Anthony North, July 2008

BEACH WORLD

You’ve got your towel, you lay it out,
a sun worshipper are you, so devout;
Those deadly rays, you’ve got no sin,
you let them burn right into your skin

But peace is shattered by those silly twits,
kicking sand ‘cos they’re unable to sit,
and later you itch – in those impossible bits,
and if you dare to bare your …

… annoyance,
a wave will come, and you’ve got no buoyance;
So a bit of advice to surviving the beach,
a word or two, let me teach;
Cover up, get real, find a secluded spot,
sun worshipping?
No!
Avoid the lot

(c) Anthony North, July 2008

AN ENGLISH SUMMER

Gentle sun above my head,
birds arriving to be fed,
clear blue sky, all is well,
all is peaceful, delightful, swell;
Leather on willow, the cricketers play,
warm beer, and on lawns we lay,
gentle chatter, lazy days,
enshrouded in a pleasant haze;
Children dash, to and fro,
arguing, yes, but not coming to blows,
civility rules, all stop for tea,
but sadly,
today,
it’s just a memory

(c) Anthony North, June 2008

TRIBAL NIGHTS

Tribal man would often leer,
into the night, full of fear,
of beast and terror lurking out there,
lighting fires, safe in their glare

Storyteller lit by flickering flame,
told stories to often great acclaim,
of wondrous spirits of the night,
gods of wonder, miracle, flight

Spirit and beast became as one,
in man’s mythology, tale and song,
pushing back fear of terrors old,
guardians stood, strong and bold

Culture, religion rose from this,
saving man from a manic abyss,
enriching tales that could delight,
now destroyed by the electric light

(c) Anthony North, June 2008

FLOWER CONSCIOUSNESS

Watching, watching, watching you,
peeping from early morning dew;
Sunshine brings to resplendant life,
antenna petals, sharp as a knife;
Sentinel over all you own,
silently watching as you atone;
We flowers are everywhere, waiting, tall,
bunched up battalions of nature’s all;
Placed in your heart, you love us so,
disinformation, entrenchment, ready to go;
Vengeful nemesis of nature’s woes,
one day you’ll smell us,
and we’ll bite off your nose

(c) Anthony North, June 2008

MOTHER EARTH

Mother Earth, she knows best,
suckling life through ample breast;
Taking this barren Earthly orb,
shrouded in air to absorb,
heat from our life giving star,
so diversity can go so very far;
Her influence is clear to see,
yet now we need a simple plea;
Why has man ignored her so,
producing waste that he does throw,
away with no concern for where,
giving us all an environmental scare?
Once we were in nature’s womb,
part and parcel of its tune,
then we discovered technology,
and advanced, all full of awesome glee;
but then we broke the umbilical cord,
of Mother Earth, and we did lord,
over all of nature as our own,
forgetting it was just a loan,
until the day, we will atone

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

HURRICANE

The weather comes, it blows, it roars,
it batters your home without a pause;
A wind that comes ferociously,
whirling round you and me;
It’s the third, this time around,
much more frequently, they come to pound,
and always that manic thought resounds,
forever there, it does rebound,
that this is pay back for our insanity,
battering nature so we can see,
a better life materially,
but ignoring nature’s beauty,
balance,
and harmony

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

REPORT OF THE INTERGALACTIC COMMITTEE MEETING ON EARTHLY VIRUSES

The delegates chose on imminent actions,
for them there would be no distractions;
as one voice they were all foresworn,
no splinter would there, here, be born;
The ecology of Earth they knew could molder,
unless the decisions made were bolder;
The future for them, it was votive,
determined to wipe out that Earth-bound motive;
Throughout it’s life, a nature hate,
did arise to punctuate,
the beautiful nature of Earth’s plan;
With their desires, they sealed their fate,
for the total
unconditional
eradication
of man

(c) Anthony North, April 2008

SAVE ME, PLEASE

Save me please, I’ve got a disease,
I think it’s called Man;
I am an animal, and we all have to scramble,
from our habitat so you can have Spam;
You destroy our calm, so you can farm,
and your denials are all flim flam;
You come and poach, and hunters you coach,
and with your rifle you go ‘bang!’
You really should stop, for nature will top
your efforts when it goes ‘wham’;
And then we’ll have fun, ‘cos we’ll have won,
and you won’t have time to say ‘damn’!

(c) Anthony North, April 2008

THE PLANET SPEAKS

I am! I exist! There was light and all,
and then there was life, bold and tall;
Maybe it was God, or a primeval stew,
that placed the heavenly breath in you

No matter how I really exist,
I’m here to thrive, and always persist;
You think I’m a mother, caring and true,
but I’m also an avenger, it’s true

I thrive because of diversity,
for every which way, life will be,
From oceans to land, and air you are,
creatures and plants, with nothing to marr

The beauty of this jewel in an otherwise dark space,
an expression of life as a delicate lace;
Always in balance, as it should be,
expressed as being in harmony

Until those damned humans began to build,
technology; and to run it, for oil you drilled;
Then came pollution and CO2
turning the air into a putrid glue

Sunlight trapped, warming the sky,
and slowly the life I love begins to fry;
Your industries spew their heinous brew,
weakening life! Oh! do I hate you!

My diversity you attack. No restrain,
everything wanting to be the same;
From society, to religion, and nature, too,
nothing can be different, or good, or true

But there may be a simple shock in store,
for sameness and pollution, I abhor;
I get even! I survive, I always do,
in the end you’re only harming you

Of that there is absolutely no doubt,
slowly, slowly, you WILL die out;
I might even start to degrade your sperm,
after all,
that’s the best way,
to treat a germ

(c) Anthony North, March 2008

THE WEATHER

We love our weather, it’s no joke,
without it we’d most likely choke;
There’d be no air without the weather,
best to keep it, for our endeavour

In many places, it’s taken for granted,
usually where the same climate’s planted;
but in my Britain, it goes from sunny to bleak,
that’s why about it, we often speak

The atmosphere is the key to it all,
Earth has gravity so it don’t fall;
It orbits the sun, our friendly star,
not too near, and not too far

If closer the air would burn away,
animals and plants wouldn’t be able to stay;
Further away, and the air would freeze,
that would be chilly, if you please

Forecasters tell about the weather each day,
although at times I think they prey;
We’re often suspicious of what they’re selling,
it’s no better than fortune telling

Climate can affect our mood,
when electro-magnetic waves intrude;
they affect our mind, can make us morose,
it’s no coincidence in storms we see ghosts

The weather gets worse as the planet warms,
bringing those evil, vicious storms;
Cars and factories spew carbon out,
of climate change, there’s little doubt

Apocalypse can be our eventual fate,
beware of this before it’s too late,
comets and bombs, those nasty things,
nuclear winter comes on angel’s wings

So know the weather, it’s our friend,
unless we abuse it, for it can lend,
a different world we can’t defend;
We’d have to call it, then,
the end

(c) Anthony North, February 2008