Just Imagine…

Just imagine…
If we could paint the world back green,
Flush all the rivers and oceans clean.
If we could make space for all of nature,
Be kind and respectful to every creature.
If we could protect and nourish every tree,
Plant forests and let them flourish free.
If we could tame the fire-tongued dragon,
Turn down the heat, unbearable to imagine.
If we could quell storms and hurricanes,
Ease the world from its aches and pains.
If we could thwart floods and soften waves,
And dare to stand tall, be bold and brave.
If we could stop taking and give instead,
Plant seeds of sustainability in hearts and heads.
If we could pause and learn to share,
Honour our home and show we care…
The world would be a better place.

© Linda Middleton

Polar Bear’s aren’t made for Sun Loungers

Polar bear’s aren’t made for sun loungers,
Chilling, nose in an Arctic magazine.
They’d rather not bother with sunglasses
And would say no to vanilla ice cream.

You’d lose your hand in a polar bear’s coat:
Thick and zipless, into brightness it blends.
Perfect for snow sliding down sparkly slopes
And padding warmly to where sea ice ends.

But polar bears’ white world is shrinking;
An ice cube the legacy they’ll be left.
Demon pollution driving global warming:
A hungry monster, guilty of Arctic theft.

Say no to polar bears on sun loungers.
Say no to that skimpy bikini look.
Protect polar bears’ wondrous world.
Hold back that wicked Arctic crook.

So, if lit like Blackpool illuminations,
Simply flick that power switch.
Give polar bears a frozen future
And help your family stay cash rich.

© Linda Middleton

Polar bears rely on the sea ice for travelling, hunting and resting, but this is melting at an alarming rate due to global warming. Global warming is the heating of the planet caused by humans burning huge amounts of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas); breeding vast numbers of methane-producing cattle; and cutting down the forests that naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the air.


If I were a Giant…

If I were a great, ginormous giant,
Towering terrifically tall in watery depths,
I’d strain every ocean through my supersized sieve
To capture every poisonous piece of plastic.
Squishing and squashing it into the biggest ball,
I’d boldly bat this lethal planet polluter
To orbit Earth like a mean menacing moon.
And I’d earnestly whisper, ‘Humans, this is your last chance.’

If I were a great, ginormous giant,
Towering terrifically tall in ravaged rainforests,
I’d soon plant a wonderful world of heroic trees
To capture your shadows of shame.
I’d snap every poacher’s wicked weapon,
So all creatures could finally be free
To live with you greedy-guts humans in happy harmony.
And I’d sternly say, ‘Humans, this is your last chance.’

If I were a great, ginormous giant,
Towering terrifically tall beside choking chimneys,
I’d sure shove your polluting power stations
To quickly crumble at my thunderous feet.
So I could power your ‘wonderful world’,
I’d blow my big blustery breath
To twist and turn your farms of terrific turbines,
Forever keeping your home towns twinkling.
But I’d still have breath to bellow,
‘HUMANS, THIS IS YOUR VERY LAST CHANCE!’

© Linda Middleton

Practice Reading Paper for World Leaders

Topic:
The menacing monsters beneath my bed,
Shifting, snarling and filling me with dread.

1. What if the swallows never came?    (1 mark)
Summer would not shine quite the same.

2. What if the dawn chorus slips into silence?     (1 mark)
The gaping hole would scream loud in defiance.

3. What if sports’ day’s a mirage in the heat?    (1 mark)
Trainers would sit sorrowful in defeat.

4. What if roads slither into toxic snakes?    (1 mark)
Wailing sirens would close our school gates.

5. What if daffodils replace robins on Christmas cards?    (1 mark)
Creatures would be in chaos in every backyard.

6. What if snowflakes drift into magical history?    (1 mark)
Sledging and snowmen would fly into mystery.

7. What if the Amazon disappears in smoke?    (1 mark)
The Bank of the Earth would be brutally broke.

8. What if the ocean cauldron bubbles and boils?    (1 mark)
The coral kaleidoscope would fade and spoil.

9. What if land dries to dust and people flee?    (1 mark)
We’d need to make room for climate refugees.

10. What if Arctic ice melts, splitting Earth’s seams?    (1 mark)
Homes would be lost for polar bears to queens.

11. What if world leaders stall at stalemate?    (5 marks)
The dark monsters would rise and seal our fate.

12. What powers do you hold in planetary hands?    (10 marks)
The chance to banish monsters from all our lands.

                                                                                 ( /25 marks)

PASS RATE PRIOR TO COP26: 100%

© Linda Middleton

Leonard’s Lunch

Leonard’s lunch lurks in the great garbage patch:
Flimsy and floaty – his favourite catch?
A marine world flooded with trillions of trash;
Leonard’s decade-old belly sadly home to a stash.

Leonard hatched on a tropical nesting beach –
His instinct to scarper, the swash in reach.
A warm ocean current, his dream to ride,
His cute, little turtle friends close by his side.

But Leonard’s not swimming his hatchling dream -
A rising wave of rubbish is madly mean.
Now poor innocent Leonard loses a limb,
Sliced by fishing gear discarded on a whim.

Hopes of reaching a century of turtle years
Are now awash with worry and plastic fears.
Easily blown by wind and swept by rivers,
Plastic pollutes oceans, so their life withers.

Leonard’s missed his jellyfish lookalike lesson;
It’s Nature’s needless guilty confession.
So Leonard’s lunch looms large like death,
Ready to snatch his very last breath…

But it’s Leonard’s world, Leonard’s home,
Leonard’s ocean, safely to roam.
A plastic obstacle course is so unfair -
It’s now a sea turtle’s worst nightmare…

So use a lifelong bag - do him a big favour!
Save the underwater world – never waver.
When Leonard is 100, ready for birthday lunch,
Only flimsy, floaty jellyfish he’ll find to munch.

© Linda Middleton

The Great Garbage Patch is a collection of litter that has ended up in the oceans and seas. The rubbish is drawn by the circular motion of a gyre, a large system of swirling ocean currents, into its calm centre where it becomes trapped.

The marine litter in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch gathers because it is not biodegradable. Many plastics for example do not wear down and they simply break into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics, making the garbage patch look like a cloudy soup. Yuk!

The best way to stop this is for us to stop using single use plastics. Why not see if you can use reusable containers for snacks and lunches and you will be helping Leonard and his friends?

New Year’s Resolution

Act for the climate.
    Stop the heat.
Act for success.
    Stop defeat.
Act for the Amazon.
    Stop tree felling.
Act for the Arctic.
    Stop seas swelling.
Act for ecosystems.
    Stop creatures dying.
Act for truth.
    Stop citizens denying.
Act for hope.
    Stop eco-anxiety.
Act for the generations.
    Stop the fall of society.
Act for clarity.
    Stop the debate.
Act for unity.
    Stop the hate.
Act for our home.
    Stop the pollution.
Act today for tomorrow.
    Make it your New Year’s Resolution.

© Linda Middleton

A Walk on the Wild Side

The words in italics are for another voice or voices

Ditch the device,
Switch off the TV,
Walk on the wild side
With your family.

What do you hear?
What do you see?
Spot eight things
Of amazing beauty.

A worm that wriggles, wiggles and weaves,
A colourful kaleidoscope of autumn leaves,
A collection of conkers reflecting light,
A buzzard slowly circling at incredible height.

The dewdrop dazzle of a diamond lawn,
The rolling mystery of a misty dawn,
An eager woodpecker that drums and drills
And the orange sun, slipping behind shadowy hills.

What do you hear?
What do you see?
Spot eight things
Of amazing beauty.

Fresh spring leaves unfurling bright,
Bunny tails bobbing, flashing white,
The ocean sky for swallows to sail,
The streak of fire of the fox’s tail.

The twisted trunk of a towering tree,
The mesmerising moves of a bluebell sea,
The perfect pattern of a slithering snake.
The sunlight dancing on a rippling lake.

What do you hear?
What do you see?
Spot eight things
Of amazing beauty.

The prehistoric wonder of a heron’s flight,
Delicate butterflies fluttering light,
The sudden clap of pigeon wings,
The friendly robin as it joyfully sings.

An iridescent shimmer of a damselfly,
Leaves that rustle with the wind’s sigh,
The world of wisdom in an owl’s face,
The scarpering squirrel at Olympic pace.

Life’s so busy,
But you only need a short while
To wander on the wild side
And make yourself smile.
So what do you hear?
What do you see?
Just spot four things
Of amazing beauty.

Slender grasses combed by a summer breeze,
A white world locked in a winter freeze,
The soft honk of a skein of geese,
And the relaxing silence of natural peace.

So ditch the device,
Switch off the TV,
Walk on the wild side,
You’ll be amazed what you see!

© Linda Middleton

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