Showing posts with label nature poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature poetry. Show all posts

16 Jun 2022

Air Quality



The weather app informs me 

That the air quality is good 

It made me wonder

When did the air become toxic here?

With a canopy of coconut trees around

With plenty of creepers and plants on the ground 

Wind lashing out from the ocean frequently 

Endless rains for weeks every year 

The air was always relatively safe 

But with the growth in the number of vehicles

Maybe, there is some change in air quality 

But I hope that the ocean and rain will keep

The air refreshed 

At least in this small city 

 I have seen the accumulation of black soil 

On the floors in some other cities 

I have felt the breathing of black soot and soil 

Where construction materials create dust 

As the cities grow vertically with high-rise buildings 

Also the millions of vehicles spitting greenhouse gases 

They are still safer than some megacities 

That requires air filters at home 

Electric vehicles alone won't improve air quality 

The industries need to reduce pollution drastically 

Else we will end up living in toxic gas chambers 

Susceptible to lung diseases and other illnesses 



This poem is inspired by the air-quality information I started receiving from an app on my laptop. I was surprised to receive the air quality information. As the air here is relatively cleaner compared to bigger cities. The images are taken by cleanairpartners and breathepa

6 Jun 2022

Earthship




A self-sustainable home  

Amidst the arid and desert areas

Walls are erected 

By ramming soil on old tyres 

Filling old glass bottles and cans 

Binding it with  soil, mud, and other binders

A long sloped roof to the back 

Wooden support and structure 

A linear building from the front 

With huge glass panes to 

Welcome all the sunshine 

The backyard is filled with soil to make slopes

It and the wall act as thermal storage 

Releases heat on cooler nights 

The Greenhouse in the building 

Grows vegetables and fruits 

It helps in bringing fresh oxygen 

The rainwater from the roofs fills 

The water storage tanks to meet the water needs

Grey water from kitchen, bathroom, and sinks

Goes through natural filtration beneath 

The bed of plants and provide water to them 

Then it is recirculated to flush the toilet 

Even the septic tank sludge is used for

Making manure for the plants and trees outside 

The solar panels and wind turbines make

Off-grid life as a reality in a society

Away from the hustles of cities 

The piping systems from the rooms to the 

Lower slope areas help in the recirculation of fresh air

With temperatures varying with the climate 

 A sustainable house that could reduce carbon emissions

With the usage of wasted materials and renewable energy

It is now sustainable in tropics and rainy areas too

With the use of different materials to cope with local climate 


This poem is based on countless documentaries and videos about earth ships I saw over the years. It is remarkable that wasted materials like old tyres, glass bottles, and beer or soft drinks cans among others can make a sustainable home. Earthships, with advanced designs, provide comfortable living with off-grid energy and sustainable water usage. This is ideal for those who wish to live amidst nature and lead a sustainable lifestyle. The images were taken by Earthship Biotecture Australia and Claire Carrion

26 May 2022

Bio-Logs: An alternative to Firewood



Charcoal and firewood fire up 
The barbeques in the backyards 
More trees are cut for making a fire 
In Argentina, pomace, the leftover
extracts from apple, pear, and other fruits 
Spread on the grounds with sunshine 
For days to let the moisture dry 
Then it's laid in a brick-like thickness 
Again to dry to lose all moisture 
The dried thick slabs are cut into logs 
They provide similar thermal properties 
As charcoal and firewood does 
It infuses fruity flavor into the meat 
The pomace from olives is turned 
Into long bio-pellets as well in Greece 
Coconut husks and shells are pulverized 
And converted into short briquettes 
In Sierra Leone as an initiative to 
Replace firewood as it offers more heat 
These bio-logs can save thousands of trees, 
It can change the way people cook, grill, 
and barbecue in many countries 
Bio-logs could light up the fireplace 
In the winter in the old buildings 
And allow trees to capture more Co2
To fight the climate change in a small way 




I came across multiple alternatives for firewood and charcoal. I saw some videos from Business Insider telling stories of individuals making products that can transform the way people cook, grill, barbeque, or even heat. A lot of people might be already using these pellets, briquettes, and bio-logs made from fruit and farm waste from factories and in general. I am experimenting with poetry based on solutions available for solving issues affecting nature and climate. Images are taken from Business Insider. 

25 May 2022

Reclaimed Earth Colors



Abandoned mines discharge 
Acidic mine drainage 
Full of oxides 
To the creeks and streams 
Making them toxic and polluted 
For years after the closure of the mine 
The sludge from the polluted streams 
Processed to remove impurities 
And dried at different temperatures 
To make powder of different colors 
When mixed with oil and additives 
And cold-pressed 
Magical paints of reclaimed earth colors emerge 
The tail ends from mines have lumps of minerals 
Crushing those minerals creates natural colors 
That can gloss pottery like in historical times 
Painters can give colors to their imaginations
With paints  made from the mine waste
And get closer to the nature 
To spread the message 
Of healing the nature 




This poem is inspired by a documentary of researchers from Ohio Department of Natural Resources, True Pigments LLC and gamblincolors converting AMD into the paint. Reclaimed Earth Colors is the brand of the paints produced in this manner.  This is not a paid promotion of the brand. I feel this is worthy of a shout-out due to the significance of their efforts. I also came across some other videos of converting minerals from tail end of the abandoned mines into paints. They're natural colors. 

23 May 2022

Fog Catcher For Water


 

A hill on a desert 

Rain is a rare mercy 

A water-deprived society 

Men migrating to cities for jobs

As land cannot support farming 

Women walk miles to fetch water 

Then came the magic wand of fog catchers 

Standing tall on the hills inline to embrace the fog 

That looks like clouds and remains there for months 

The frame withstands the heavy breeze from the ocean 

The mesh lets the mist form droplets of water 

Then drain to the bottom of the frame 

And through the pipes to the tanks 

Collecting hundreds of liters of water each day 

To sustain the lives of the people in the region 

Giving new lease of life to the farms and farmers

Giving women time freedom from fetching water 

Allowing men to return to their native to build lives again 

This could be a lifesaver for many communities around the world 



This poem is inspired by documentaries I watched about fog-catching technology to absorb water from fog in Morocco, India, and Peru. There are new materials being used instead of mesh. It allows catchment of more water. There are tower-based structures too for catching water. The simplicity of the technology is remarkable. Images are taken from DW and CNN

12 May 2022

New Forests In The Deserts




Countries are reclaiming deserts 

Through raising new forests on sands 

To stop the sandstorms in cities 

To create farms for food security

To increase the green cover of a nation

To save the rainwater from draining away

To create a new ecosystem and biodiversity 

To bring back the birds and animals 

Egypt used wastewater to grow a forest 

In the desert to fight climate change 

The Great Green Wall in Africa is aiming 

Eight thousand kilometers long arrays of trees 

An irrigated afforestation program 

To stop the expansion of the Sahara desert 

And combat the effects of climate change 

Saudi Arabia is planning to plant billions of trees 

In the desert with modern technology 

To reclaim degraded lands into forests 

China has grown millions of trees in the Gobi desert and 

Mu Us Over the decades to generate a new green forest 

With an ingenious technique to store water for trees

Thousands of Chinese people have contributed efforts

This is reducing the sandstorms in Beijing 

It has increased the overall forest cover of China 

An engineer created a small forest in the 

Thar desert in India based on ancient paintings

Israel has converted desert land into Yatir forest 

A new eco-system has emerged there 

The trees have adapted to the harsh arid conditions

Relying on a lesser amount of water to grow

The coastline of Abudhabi is witnessing the 

Planting of thousands of mangroves to provide 

lush green cover and another forest closer to

Abudhabi city is aiming to create an ecosystem

To give a hangout for the city residents 

The world is witnessing various forest projects

With an aim to improve forest cover and prevent

desertification of the land or afforestation of deserts

That could positively help in controlling climate change

Reducing greenhouse emissions and global warming 



Deforestation is the previous poem related to this topic. During the lockdowns related to the Corona pandemic, I saw a lot of videos on growing forests in deserts in various parts of the world. It take a lot of painstaking trial and error methods initially before they succeeded. The trees that can adapt to arid conditions are primarily used along with some shrubs that can grow in sand. Watershed programs that help in the absorption of the rainwater for replenishment of groundwater is also a significant step. Thousands of people took part in the forest projects in China and Africa. Some of the projects are decades old and now they have lush forests with birds and animals and enough water. Images are taken from Science Photo and Great Green Wall. Thank you :)

11 May 2022

Deforestation



The greed of humans is exploding deforestation

Felling trees without an afterthought 

To meet the needs of a construction industry 

To clear the land for the expansion of settlements

To prepare land for cultivation 

Deforestation affects biodiversity, 

Loss of habitat for countless plants and animals 

Many rare species are facing the threat of extinction 

Without trees to stop the fast runoff of rainwater

Climate change implodes flooding and soil erosion

Untimely monsoons and flash flooding make people 

Take refuge in camps, with damages to their homes 

Kerala and Europe have seen the effects recently 

Without trees storing water, droughts occur in places

The temperatures are increasing in many countries 

Affecting the availability of potable water

Desertification is posing a threat to more population

Deforestation leads to more greenhouse gases emissions

As trees are the best storage medium for that

It is a major factor in the global warming that 

Caused drastic increase in sea level over the years

Putting the lives of thousands of islanders in 

Tuvalu, Kiribati, Maldives, and Marshall Islands under threat

The manmade fire in the Amazon that lasted months 

Burning everything down in a rainforest 

To make way for soybean plantations 

The clearing of rainforests in South East Asia 

To build monoculture palm tree plantations 

It destroyed the entire ecosystem over the years

It is causing conflict between humans and wild animals

The captive tree forests for claiming trees 

Too ruined many thick forests for commercial revenue

And the natural bushfires in Australia and California

Seeing more devastations with climate change 

The images of barely alive animals seeking water 

The seasons and weather are changing drastically

Across the world in different ways 

As people uproot more trees daily without replanting




A search in my blog by someone about deforestation led me to read about deforestation and its effects worldwide. It is a rather complex issue. I touched upon some aspects of it in this poem. Images are taken from istockphoto and dreamstimeNew Forests In The Deserts is the continuation of the topic of this poem. 

7 May 2022

A Farmhouse Wish

 


I wish to lease 

A farmhouse somewhere in the hills of Idukki

Where the fog and mist welcome the mornings 

An old building left behind by the British owner

With wooden floors and ceilings and a cellar 

Cellar used to store produce from the farms 

A fireplace to enjoy some drinks at night 

Maybe some ghosts hanging around 

To give a company and tell tales from another era

A nice place to enjoy the emptiness of life 

Surrounded by mango, nutmeg, and teak trees 

Pepper creepers crawling on the smaller trees 

Farms of tea and cardamom keep the air fragrant

The Orange trees amidst the tea plants look odd

The bushes of cinnamon trees evoke strong feelings

Along with the cloves and vanilla beans

Maybe some apples and peaches too 

Small streams run down through the farms 

The freshly brewed coffee and tea from the area

May make the mornings exciting for walks 

Along the hills towards the local junction 

To get local news and a bit of banter with people

A place to enjoy the monsoon rains and the winter 

A life away from the cities and concrete jungles 

Farming and enjoying the harvest of produce 

Maybe setting up a microbrewery for wine 

With fresh air aplenty and less humidity 

And a lot of big hills on the horizon 

The rides through the hairpins will be exciting

Trekking in the jungles and boating in dams

There are plenty of things to do 

Maybe I am still in love with the hills 

As I grew up on a barren hill with tapioca fields 



This poem is inspired by this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-omMJ9zRoO8 A couple from London restoring their Portuguese Quinta. The images are taken from Shutterstock and Cardamom Farm Shutterstock 

2 May 2022

A Hobbit For A Writer


A Lush green grass valley providing 

Spectacular views of the hill ranges 

With tea and coffee plantations afar 

A lake on the plain encircled by trees

A hobbit house built into the valley 

By digging a hole for a sleeping cabin 

With a bed carved out from the soil

Wooden planks gave the insulation 

On the other end, there's a fireplace 

With a chimney to exhaust the smoke 

Wood from the nearby areas was used

To build the hoists for the sloped ceiling 

Small branches were tied to the hoists 

Mud was used to make the walls on the

 sides and in the front, gaps were there 

For the windows and a door to the hobbit 

Wooden planks were nailed to the hoists

To base the roof, a tarpaulin sheet was 

laid over the planks and dried grass was 

Stacked over it, Soil was laid over the roof

Soil was laid on the sides to create a slope

Glass panes were fitted for the windows 

The main wooden hoist became the base

 for the cabinet to keep the books, wooden

 planks were used for flooring, A table and

 chair faced the window, Storage cabinets

were set on the wall at the bedside, The

fireplace doubled up as kitchen, Dutch

oven and kettles as utensils for cooking 

Fresh grass was laid on the sloped walls

and roof, To merge with the grassy terrain 

Solar lamps lit the hobbit during the night 

A small garden with flowers in the front

yard, Completes a dream hideout for a

writer to focus on his craft amidst the 

nature, With fresh scent of papers and ink

and a cup of coffee to delve into fantasy

Regardless of rains, summer, or winter 

Sans the distraction of the internet world


This poem is based on a poetic seed I had during my evening walk. Image taken from Wikipedia 


30 Apr 2022

Glowworms Reunion


From the hills, moist plains, and riverside 

Glowworm beetles embarked on a journey

Towards a garden for their annual reunion 

To share their stories and enjoy the nectar

They left behind females as they can't fly 

It's like the bike riders' gangs on their trips 

They glowed intermittently in a  pattern

On that new moon night, they're the stars 

On land buried under the pitch darkness 

They reached the paddy fields and stuck 

To rice plants resembling firesticks glow

They rested in a big tree creating an aura 

Of Christmas lights during the spring night

They flew over the river creating art forms 

Of light patterns on the water with delight 

They reached the garden and selected

Flowers to enjoy the nectar they cherished 

They remembered their friends who lost

Their lives under the beaming streetlights 

Their mates who left life after delivering 

Larvae as per a strange tradition of theirs

While they returned through dark paths 

Towards the safety of their homelands 

Waving goodbyes until the next reunion


This poem is inspired by the glow worms I see during my late evening walk along riverside. Image taken from Bored Panda .Thank You :) 

28 Apr 2022

An Adventure In The Forest


 

Let’s go for an adventure

In the lush forest of pine trees

With bare essentials to survive

Walking along the ancient trails

Left behind by the local tribals

Let’s find a safe place to set up

A hut for shade from the rain

And barrier against the animals

With tree branches and mud

Thatched roof with the grass

A fireplace to remain warm

A rocket stove for cooking

Let’s sleep with the warmth

Of each other and fireplace

Let’s wake up to a new dawn

Amidst the tall trees of history

Let’s walk through the fog

Towards the wild vineyard

And taste the mist from the

Wild grapes before the sunrise

Let’s find the lake to swim

When the water is still cold

Collect pristine water from stream

For brewing wild berries for tea

Let’s forage in the wild for safe

Fruits, mushrooms, and roots

Hunt some small animals too

And cook them while sun sets

We can enjoy the dinner with

Fermented wild berries and grapes

We can enjoy a memorable spring

Amidst the nature, away from city

We could drench in the rain and

Play like kids, with nobody to bother

We could explore the hills and valleys

We could make love in the bed of

wild flowers, enjoying the wild fragrance

We could find wild honey to sweeten our

Brews and sparkle on our foggy mornings

Let’s build a tree shelter for safety

To escape from wild animal attacks

Let’s enjoy the wild life for somedays

A lonely world to keep falling in love

 

 This is the 400th post on this blog. This poem is inspired by the prompt from #MadVerse

12 Mar 2022

Abandoned Quarry

 



An abandoned quarry 

The graveyard of a hill 

Bared bones of an ecosystem

Ripped apart of its soul 

By machines that extracted granite 

The contractors took away 

As much granite as possible 

Until they couldn't make any more money

Bereft of rocks

Deep trenches emerge 

With full of water reminiscent of green 

Like a cluster of ponds

But the water was unsafe to drink

With remnants of chemicals 

Unsafe to dive and swim

As it is deeper than it looks 

After years of solitude 

Nature absorbed the land 

Back to its fold 

With shrubs and trees 

Providing a canopy of green 

When the water became safe

Locals deposited fishes 

They thrived in those ponds

Birds came back and set up nests

On the trees 

The air had a new fragrance 

The visual treat lure people

To experience the miracle of nature 


Image credits to Gulfy Photography 



3 Jan 2012

Idyllic Path



This is my path
For my soul searching journey
Pristine stream without ripples
Standing still like a lively canvas
For the reflections of trees aside
I can see the hidden sky
Through the lenses of the morning fog
The reflections look like a green curtain
To shy away the sunshine
The stream in its silence
Tells the story of its love for its surrounding
As they embrace the solemn peace
The zig-zag path goes hidden
While immersing itself in the fog
I saw an abandoned tent
I feel I can rest for a while in it
While burning the logs around
For some heat
And, listen to the silence of nature
May be I can grab some peace
For my beleaguered heart
Confused and smitten by emptiness
Enduring the pain of a lost soul
I hope this path will take me there
Where I can see my lost soul again
In peace and warmth
Forgiving and realizing each other
Once again


Image courtesy: Magpie tales. Please visit magpietales98 to read other writers creations. Thanks.

Rainbow on River USK




A welsh winter morning
After an enlightened new-year
Gloomed with dark clouds
Groomed with silent rain
Chilled with wind from riverside
The festive mood was still in air
As the near empty roads suggested
I went for a walk with a friend
Gracing the lonely rain
Walking along the riverside
The usk river remained a slim beauty
Glazing its bare muddy curves
We turned around
A spectacle semi circled the river
Like a colorful hanging bridge
From the edge of its side
To the heights of a nearby tower
A rainbow sparkled
Like a portrait on cloudy canvas
As we snapped up its beauty
With our eyes
The sky opened its canvas
Tearing away the clouds
Making way for the sun to surface
It wished the dawn with a bright smile
While bidding adieu to the soul rain
As the glamour of sun flourished
The fantasy trail of rainbow diminished
With a silent goodbye! 


Image Courtsey: BBC

23 Jul 2011

Rose




" every rose blooms,
 spreads fragrance, 
spreads smile, 
carries the love,
 dazzles in mist, 
becomes mystic in drizzle,
 then dulls down with the sun,
 bidding adieu to the world, 
but rose still catches imagination,
 making us love its successors,
 just as it,
 with the charm"



Images : Thanks to the rightful owners

15 May 2011

Dusk of Contrast





Entangled green bushes
With no leaves to wave
Arched with flower bud
Waiting to break free
When the sunshine giggles
To see an unseen world
To explore the magic of nature
To receive the love from unknown
As the bloomed flowers
Spreading the magic of red
Amidst the creepy green layers
Like spots of limitless joy
On the faces of kids in a crowd
Reluctant to say goodbye
To the glow less setting sun
Shaded by the orange clouds
And the light-dark sky
As they don’t know
If they will have another day
To wave along with the wind
While enjoying the sunshine



Inspired by picture taken by Fee Easton. Option 1.Written for  one-stop,challenge time . Visit to explore other poets expressions! Thanks Image from Unsplash. 

14 May 2011

Wings




Wild
Innovative
Navigational
Gear
Salvaged 


Prompt 1: Single Word (SW) – WINGS @ acrosticonly . Please visit to see other poets acrostic. Thanks
Images: Thanks to NASA and google images

River Usk



A stream with unpredictable flow
Moving in opposite directions
Depending upon the tide in the sea
Slim and calm at times
Exposes its bare muddy skin beneath
Storage of balls, cycles, bottles, and junks

Many people had their stuffs falling by chance
And just watched them moving away
As it was risky to retrieve


With the thick mud acting as hindrance
Boats stacks up in mud here and there
Away from its dock
It reminds me of lost boats in deserts
They get back to the shore
When water rises again

At night it flows in its full glory
With big belly burgeoned by tides
Glamorized by the lights on the shore
I try to see, which direction it is flowing
Every other day, before crossing the bridge
Sometimes, I just look at its silence
Through the big windows at university

Sometimes I sit on the bench
On the walkway, just to feel the wind
And to listen to the heart of the river
It’s peaceful to sit and read at night
Underneath the streetlight
With the river giving a nice company
Along with the freezy wind and stars 
I have found a friend in this lazy and frenzy river


Images: Thanks to google images & various websites.

11 Jan 2011

Abundance



Abandoned paddy fields are aplenty in Kerala
Barren or marshy, waits for fresh lease of life
Unused, but still a haven for the greenery
Nurturing the unwanted plants and pests  
Drenched in rain, they look like a carpet
Acts as the granary for animals and birds
Nursery for small fishes to swim around
Cultivation can help in food security, but  
Expects death calls from greedy realtors 

This poem is written on the prompt "Abundance" in Blog carnival onesingleimpression . Please visit there to read other poets creations. Thanks. 

Fogged Lake



A vast lake
Dressed up in early morning fog
She is waiting for her lover, the sun
Grey sky shaded its waterscape
Without waves, she is looking so calm


A small country boat positioned itself
In the middle of the deep trench
For catching some sleepy fishes
A lonely crow slowly flew across
As if searching for someone
At a distance, another boat raced through
Creating a channel of wave in a straight line
From one shore to the another


The grey fog has spoiled the trees around
They were silent as if it’s freezing
On the outer, the lake looked serene
I wonder how deep the water is!
Though beautiful, it’s salty to drink
But, it’s tempting to breach its depth
When I look through the window of this train

Please visit oneshotwednesday to read other poets poems for this week's blog carnival. Thanks :)