Time never holds its breath
When you can’t catch yours.
The sun doesn’t forget to rise,
from behind closed doors.
Strength appears from nowhere,
It slips beneath a storm filled cloud.
Allowing us to breathe in its beauty,
To hear nature sigh out loud.
Our world continues turning,
Despite sadness in our eyes.
Or the sound of the earth failing,
The throbbing beat of babies cries.
Our Earth begins to rumble,
Beneath the dying sea-floor.
For the Wildlife, there is no saving,
Sea-creatures will be no more.
Only the cries of number 52
As he sings his lonely song.
No partner tuned in to hear him
His opportunities long gone
Too late, we see the destruction,
Earth destroyed by human greed
It will be with enormous sadness
As floods drown out the last seed.
To hear the facts of no.52 press here
To extend the life of Earth as we know it we must work now. Simply turning the thermostat down 2°, not putting heating on until the evening, wear a sweater if you are cold, think twice before turning on air conditioning, shopping once a month instead of weekly. Use public transport or share space in your car, walk or bike where possible, recycle ♻️, home cook, grow your own, eat what you need not what you want. These are a few small changes that will help our planet prolong its life. Which do you do? Leave a comment I would ❤ to know.
Every day I become more fearful for our world if only each of us took it upon ourselves to change one thing … we could prevent my words from coming true.
” What could or do you do to help?” Leave me your thoughts, I love to chat. 😇
Ellenbest24 
The whale’s story is heartbreaking and you tell it well. The sum of the two parts is greater than the two separate poems, which is how it should be. Now for another cleave, with an even sharper difference between the two halves. You’ve made me realise I haven’t written one in an age. Probably because they are so difficult!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jane, Your critique is welcomed, your visit to my abode, … or that of my words is greatly received. 😘 I am chomping at the bit to read an experts (your) take on a modern day cleave.
LikeLike
I’m an expert in how a cleave poem ought to be written, not in actually producing one! I have had a go, and it’s made me look beyond the dreary November morning that’s in it here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a thought provoking poem, Ellen. We also try to do things to help. All our geysers are solar powered now and we run limited heating. We also don’t have air conditioning at home because of climate change although it is very hot here during the summer. We recycle and do the usual things, but its industry that needs to change. Maybe if we stop consuming …
LikeLiked by 1 person
The thing is. while the worst countries are so poor, they dying of starvation, thirst and any funds to live. Cutting pollution from the main income source is not on the agenda. 😢
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well said and so needed. Will read Number 52 next. Humans mouth we want to save the world but we don’t want to be inconvenienced doing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The world will do what worlds do, in will go full circle freezing as in the ice age, Thawing, flooding, burning through global warming🔥 imploding. Nature works that way, but the way we live is thrusting an engine underneath forcing what should take thousands of years to arrive too soon.
LikeLike
Lots of food for thought in this poem Ellen. Sad and true. Change a little to change a lot!
I actually turned down our heating by a few degrees last week.
You’d laugh if you saw the state of me on cold days, sitting at my computer in my little grotto. Scarf, big jumper, fluffy socks, lovely woolly blanket across my legs. 😄 But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m getting more strict with lights being left on too.
There’s always more we can do and I think if we do a little at a time, it all becomes a habit!
Excellent poem Ellen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. It reads fairly well three ways, … by reading only the bold lines alone, then another poem reading the the lighter ones, and a third reading it as a whole.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful and sad poem, Ellen. I pester my congressmen, but more than that, I try to do my best to reduce my own footprint and garbage. If we each did that, we wouldn’t need to rely on politicians to do the right thing. I worry for the animals that will die before we get our acts together, if we ever do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As you say we each must try where we can. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment Diana
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautifully poignant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you George.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Brilliant poem Ellen.
As with most things a gradual change will be more effect and sustainable.
For example if we continue to recycle or preferably reuse, hopefully, more people will find new ways to recycle/ reuse those materials instead of dumping rubbish in a 3rd world country and saying the “stuff” has been recycled.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh Suzanne I am with you, buy without bags cloth bags can be made with old t-shirts jumpers etc. I am no good at craft but even I can do that .. say no to plastic, and no to more trees cut down for new packaging. Recycle paper and card. Buy second hand clothes (not underwear yuk) keep less, minimalise your home fill the charity shops instead. Put a jumper on not a heater. We can all do these things. Thank you for commenting. 💚
LikeLike
Yes, we can all do a small part. Reuse instead of recycle. Haha@the underwear 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have seen swim wear in those places and thought … WT#
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
An excellent poem, Ellen. It reminds me of the message in The Lorax.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Off to Google! Mr Google comes in handy I have to say. Thank you roberta, I seem to be struggling with the new wordpress editor and wifi today but I got it out.
LikeLike
Excellent poem – the title alone is fantastic, but the cutting fear of a crap future is apparent throughout the poem.
I think the most viable strategy to avoid doom is to change what we, as consumers, expect from industry. If we keep buying gas vehicles and don’t demand something new (electric can’t, in its current form, succeed), car companies will keep making gas cars. Demanding better, greener products is about the best we can do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, reduce packaging, plastics, recycle, be aware of what we buy and try to lessen our own footprint. Thank you for taking time to comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person