Sunrise over the compost loos

 Sunrise over the compost loos


Awakening, full-bladdered,

I unzip my sleeping bag

And the doorway to my tent,

Trying to keep all sound

To a minimum,

As my children lie sleeping

Beside me,

Conscious but dormant.


Unzipping the tent-door 

The sunrise greets me, aflame;

An orange ball rising

Over the compost loos.

I rise, slumbering no more, awestruck,

Walk towards them

And deliver my contribution

To a greener world.


Deed done

I turn skywards to admire your beauty,

But you are shrouded in cloud,

Your colour muted.

There will be no photographs

To prove we all did our bit,

No badges of honour

Or clapping of hands.


And as I enter the tent once more

Your youthful cheeks lie palid

Below the eyelids of your hopelessness,

I see your innocence in it all play out.

Sleep on dear children,

Dream of brighter days,

While we piss in buckets

And call it sustainability.


A Wensley 

20.08.2024

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