ECO POETRY?

Photo by Juan Gomez on Unsplash

Eco poetry is ‘a thing’ apparently. There have always been poets who cared about the natural world from Gerald Manley Hopkins, John Clare and Henry David Thoreau in the US, among others. Today it takes on a different import, with the spectre of species destruction, and all the attendant misery of the climate crisis. It’s actually hard not to write eco poetry, if you care about what’s happening to our environment, in the same way that it’s hard not to write protest poetry if you care about injustice. Poets have always shone lights into the dark corners of the world and today we’re needed more than ever.

I’m sharing this WIP today. As always any comments appreciated.

The Grief of Trees

What if tree rings
are patterns of grief,
sap-filled tears
for the loss of friends?

Trees are murdered
in the name of
progress:
highways, railways, houses -
perfect eco galaxies
destroyed by greed.

What if trees grieve
for all they have seen,
for all that is?
Rings of sorrow,
exposed
when cut.