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. 

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. 

Untold Love

I came to your doorstep 

I didn’t knock

I heard your voice

It thrilled me

 

I had a letter for you

I didn’t give

I saw your smile

It graced me

 

I had a lot to tell

I didn’t try

I just walked away

In silence

 

You were raining joy on me

You were blooming love in me

You were showering hope on me

But I didn’t know how to tell you

 

I wrote this poem in 2011. The images are taken by Jean Carlo Emer and Serhil Prysiazhnyi . 

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

Being Friend To Old Lover

  

 

                                                                           It is hard

 To be the friend of your love

 When you know he is

 Someone else's life

 

It’s hard to control emotions

As old memories and dreams

Flocks the heart, giving

A sense of great loss

 

Every time when you see him

Your heart craves for getting closer

Like the olden days

With nostalgic eyes

 

He conquered your untamed heart

Made you his beautiful princess

Filled dreams in you

About life together

 

Still, you are there in his heart

 He wants to care for you like before

 But from a distance

 As a loving friend

I wrote this for a friend back in 2010. It is indeed hard to be a friend to someone you love so much. But, circumstances demand the presence in that person's life, when he is building a new life with another woman. Image courtesy Antonio Guillem .