climate change – Short Prose

Poetry Reading

I am deeply grateful to Ingrid for her beautiful reading of my poem “Destiny of this earth.” [included in the anthology]

You can visit Ingrid’s post below

or here is a direct link to Ingrid’s reading and the text of my poem.

destiny of this earth
you are my destiny too
I burn in wildfires and spin in the eyewalls of hurricanes that should never be
I sit at the intersection of two bridges that lead nowhere
wonder how many days this earth and I have left
there is no more laughter in the eyes of the stars
there are no more shells on the shore
the waves leave behind the deformed plastic of heated summers
echoes of drunken voices
I vacillate between the poetry of broken glass and the memory of winters
that do not exist anymore
metallic noises breathe the air
and eat from the shoulder of the mountain
a curse floats in the horizon

you
my earth
in autumn when I used to break the fruit of the vines under my feet
you nursed me under your shades of green
dressed me in small shy roses
covered my face in the first dew of your mornings
now tell me
how to heal the wounds of your forests
placate the jaws of your non-ending storms
erase the negative of love from the face of your cries

destiny of this earth
you are my destiny too
teach me what saviors do

Gentle reminders:

There are several new posts up at MasticadoresUSA. For me MasticadoresUSA is a labor of love. Thank you to everyone who supports this site. You can read the work of your fellow poets and follow the site here.

For those of you who are interested, my new collection of poetry Woman: Splendor and Sorrow will be published by Vita Brevis Press on July 31.

Have a fabulous day everyone.
Love.

@Gabriela Marie Milton

Time to put yourself first? I don’t think so. It is time to put our planet first. If not there will be no you, I, us.

The Anthropocene Hymnal anthology is here.

Ingrid Wilson, who complied and edited The Anthropocene Hymnal, describes it as “a poetic response to the joint crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.” Ingrid worked hard to raise awareness of the dangers our planet faces. I am extremely grateful to her for her efforts and dedication.

The book will be published on 24 July 2021. The Kindle e-book is now available for pre-order from Amazon.

However, please keep in mind that Ingrid will sell her own version of the e-book on her site. Payment for downloads purchased in that way will be via donation to WWF. If you want to contribute to WWF [https://www.worldwildlife.org/] please consider buying from Ingrid’s site.

From my contribution

destiny of this earth
you are my destiny too
I burn in wildfires and spin in the eyewalls of hurricanes that should never be
I sit at the intersection of two bridges that lead nowhere
wonder how many days this earth and I have left
there is no more laughter in the eyes of the stars
there are no more shells on the shore
the waves leave behind the deformed plastic of heated summers
echoes of drunken voices
…
destiny of this earth
you are my destiny too
teach me what saviors do

A few reports on climate change

“Record-breaking temperatures hit the Pacific Northwest at the end of June, with an all-time high in British Columbia of 121 degrees.. An estimated 1 billion small sea creatures – including mussels, clams and snails – died during the heat wave in the Salish Sea, off more than 4,000 miles of linear shore…” [Amanda Coletta, and Sammy Westfall, The Seattle Times, July 8, 2021]. Internet available here.

“Officials in the Florida Keys announced what many coastal governments nationwide have long feared, but few have been willing to admit: As seas rise and flooding gets worse, not everyone can be saved.” [Christopher Flavelle and Patricia Mazzei, The New York Times, December 4, 2019]. Internet available here.

“2020 was one of the three warmest years on record. The past six years, including 2020, have been the six warmest years on record. Temperatures reached 38.0 °C at Verkhoyansk, Russian Federation on 20 June, the highest recorded temperature anywhere north of the Arctic Circle.” [State of the Global Climate 2020, WMO-No. 1264, 2021]. Internet available here.

To increase donations to WWF please consider supporting Ingrid’s efforts and buying The Anthropocene Hymnal from her site when available.

Thank you everyone.

@Gabriela Marie Milton