It seems I have lived too long,
when I am living
the sadness of watching
the planet I love so much,
the sea that lives in my blood,
beginning its dying.
I cannot un-see what I see.
I cannot un-know what I know.
When octopuses are walking out of the sea
and beaching themselves on land,
could the ocean be screaming for help
any more clearly
the distress for which it has no words
- I have no words -
except:
wake up.
Wake up.
Before everything on land or sea
is dead or dying,
wake up.
when I am living
the sadness of watching
the planet I love so much,
the sea that lives in my blood,
beginning its dying.
I cannot un-see what I see.
I cannot un-know what I know.
When octopuses are walking out of the sea
and beaching themselves on land,
could the ocean be screaming for help
any more clearly
the distress for which it has no words
- I have no words -
except:
wake up.
Wake up.
Before everything on land or sea
is dead or dying,
wake up.
On Thursday and Friday nights last week - November 2 and 3 - around 20 octopuses were seen walking out of the sea and beaching themselves at New Quay Beach at Ceredigion, on the Welsh coast. People tried returning them to the sea but many were found dead.
No one knows why this is happening, whether it is warning of earthquake, magnetic activity at the poles, pollution of the sea, an inhospitable habitat, warming seas, starvation ......... For certain, it is a warning that we, as a species, seem too daft to understand. Everything in nature is sounding warnings, more desperately as the weeks and months go by. If there is an alien species watching us, they must wonder what our problem is, that we can't see the clear signs everywhere of nature in distress.
Hi Sherry,
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile. I saw your comment on Sanaa's post for the Rage Against the Machine series and just wanted to officially invite you to take part if you have any interest. I would love to get a post from you if you have the time. You can really go in your own direction with the prompt and talk about whatever issues that you are passionate about. Anyways if you have time or interest, the full prompt for the series is here: https://theseekersdungeon.com/rage-against-the-machine-month/
Nice seeing you in this blogosphere,
Sreejit
Also, this post the you wrote is heartbreaking. For all our successes and innovations we still haven't learned how to be in-tune with our own planet.
ReplyDeleteKeep telling it, Sherry. We are not separate from the earth and all other creatures. We are lying in the bed we made.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with what you say here. Will we ever really learn how to listen?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Wow. I don't even know what to say.
ReplyDeleteSherry, this is absolutely heartbreaking. Seems like some kind of message to me. Sounds like the sea has become uninhabitable for these gentle creatures. Undoubtedly due to something man has done!
ReplyDeleteA timely plea though Sherry.. are the people who can do something about it listening?????
ReplyDeleteYour heart explodes in this post - superb
ReplyDeleteA powerful plea to look after our planet. Thank you Sherry.
ReplyDelete"...beginning its dying." How I wish to lash the conscience (if there's any left) of the wrongdoers with these words. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part about this is that the people who could do something to slow the destruction of the planet just don't care. Humanity happily destroys each other, the seas and the forests and interferes with the balance of nature and sadly it is all for a profit assuming there will be more of the same to come later.
ReplyDelete! missed this story Sherry, so thanks for the signpost.
ReplyDeleteYou are right in that nature is sounding its warnings, yet most of us choose to ignore this.
Humankind is greedy and our planet is paying the cost.
Anna
This is such a heart wrenching write, Sherry. We must pay heed to what nature is trying to tell us and make amends.. sigh..
ReplyDeleteYes, I do agree with all the above - the poem is heartbreaking and all too real. If the scientists cannot wake the world perhaps the poets can help - you certainly are shining a brilliant light... Your words cry out from the page. Superbly penned - wish it were imaginary.
ReplyDeleteSometimes knowing hurts so much, so deeply that we just want to close our eyes (or run away screaming). But we won't. Because we won't let anyone try to pretend that the horrors aren't happening.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is the problem....we do not heed nature or even notice her....we are too busy in our isolated lives wasting time hurrying. Our attention has been highjacked by pretty pictures and sounds that we barely look up before we fall.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wake-up call. I wonder how many will hear it?
ReplyDeletewhat a comparison you make between the groaning of the earth, and our own aging bodies.
ReplyDeleteanother hard truth is the inability to unsee or unknow - and in our knowing, in our seeing, what can we do but try to wake others up
and let them see
and let them know.
Ah yes another stab at our stewardship. We do need to wake up and take charge. Seriously
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by my blog today Sherry. A happy Sunday to you
Much💖love
Humans walk blind, deaf, and mute to the horror they create.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking, Sherry. Thank you for sharing this powerful poem !
ReplyDeleteYes, we seem to be walking in our sleep.
ReplyDeleteZQ
This is heartbreaking and chilling: an impactful - IMPORTANT - piece, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteHumans are so desensitised octupus and whales beaching themselves would not ruffle a feather. They will wake up when a global major catastrophe occurs and then it will be too late.
ReplyDeleteYes, those who could make a difference were not listening. Things would progressively get worse!
ReplyDeleteHank
Keep this poem out there, Sherry, it is so moving and necessary: "could the ocean be screaming for help
ReplyDeleteany more clearly"?
You have your finger on the pulse of our current predicament. Perhaps someone will listen to the warnings soon.
ReplyDelete