Seeing the Light
Seeing the Light
A lampshade painted by an artist friend
Shows a country road with a slight bend
Heading towards a row of golden trees
Their leaves rippling in a summer breeze
A smell of warm earth hangs in the air
As a scrawny vixen slinks back to her lair
Sensing the advance of human feet
A pigeon’s wings crack and flap in retreat
The shade deepens and shadows grow strange
As the voices of ramblers come into range
“What a gorgeous wood, let’s walk through
To the old farmhouse with a fantastic view”
“The valley is still a beautiful spot
Though threatened by a developer’s plot”
“Don’t worry. We are good at disruption
Once a project goes into production”
He takes a spray can and shakes it with vigour
Then asks: do you want to pull the trigger?
The paint hisses onto a crumbling stone wall:
Extinction Rebellion fights for us all.
“Don’t worry. We are good at disruption once a project goes into production.” My favorite line. If only a spray can and a little courage could halt the spread of concrete, capitalism and landfill for rodents to inhabit.