I wrote this poem after watching a muskrat swim by with a tender shoot of bulrush in it’s mouth. The muskrat had to dodge around a beer can to get to it’s burrow under this tree.
Muskrat and beer cans Pop cans and turtles Coffee cups and frogs Cellophane wrappers and herons Balloons and ducks Plastic bags Sharing the pond All shining in the sun Ain’t nature divine?
Raccoon and cigarette butt carcasses Along side the road Opossums no longer scampering Rotting in the sun Birds wings fluttered by passing cars Unmoving bodies flying no more Plastic bags fluttering in the trees All shining in the sun Ain’t nature beautiful?
Ain’t nature beautiful? Ain’t nature grand? People Oh People! What are we doing to our land?
Dan Beresford, June 18th, 2021
This poem will be added to the book I am writing… “100 Terrible Short Stories and Poems”
Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Our Earth has undergone an incredible transformation because of the world wide COVID – 19 lock down. Our Earth is healing because we are not abusing it or using it like we have in the past. Human beings can still help…we can pick up after ourselves
Skies are clearer. Air pollution is dropping faster than scientists ever thought it would. Rivers, streams, canals and other waterways are cleaner.
In the Geocaching world today was to be a world wide CITO. Cache In Trash Out. As a Geocacher I have been amazed at the places I have found garbage and deeply saddened by it. (You can learn more about Geocaching here. www.geocaching.com)
This morning my wonderful wife, my dog (Princess Sophie Mophie Defender of the Universe from Squirrels, Rabbits and Other Small Furry Creatures) and I went for a short walk. We took some plastic bags with us.
Walking the 500m from our home on Bayside Gate to Gordon Street we filled to the breaking point two grocery bags.
A few years ago before I updated my website I blogged about the litter and garbage I picked up in Lynde Shores. Over 22 pounds and I hadn’t even walked the full trail.
Earlier this month I read an article posted by CBC about a man in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia who while under quarantine and laid off from work started picking up garbage during his walks every day. dartmouth-man-new-hobbies-covid-19-laid-off-worker
All it takes is a few minutes out of your day but it makes a huge impact on our environment. I believe that if we can spread the word more by our actions than by our complaints.
Will you step up or just read this and think what a crackpot?
Will you take a few minutes out of your life to help clean up our Earth?
Litter kills. Birds have choked on balloons. Numerous mammals have been cut, poisoned, and trapped by litter and garbage. Fish have been poisoned and their waterways choked off by plastic.