BURNED IT DOWN (A HARVEST ENVIRONMENTAL POEM)

(This morning in Fitzroy we were celebrating Harvest. I rewrote this old poem for the occassion. In the end, harvest and environmental issues are intrinsically linked. We should not dare to celebrate our own selfish local harvest for this year if we are not going to live in such a way that envision harvests across the world and for years to come.)

Have you ever stood on the Antrim Plateau

Fertile fields as far as you could see

Have you ever turned soil on a Belfast allotment

Picked your berries, potatoes, carrots and peas

Have you ever walked through the Lagan Meadows

Seen autumn colour up your trysting place

Have you ever stopped to give God thanks

For the rain and sun of his abundant grace.

 

And the rivers were fresh enough to drink

But we burned it down

The air was clean enough to breath

But we burned it down

And our minds were clear enough to think

But we burned it down

Our hearts were pure enough to believe

But we burned it down.

 

And if today is our horizon

Then we can live to be rich at twilight

But we’re going to cause this sun to set

Our wealth ending up worthless at midnight

I am going to stare far beyond my lifetime

Across a sky that’s clear and blue

Live in God’s wild and wonderful world

So that my children can harvest it too!