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Ladies and Gentlemen Please enjoy The Dean of Poetry, James Dean Rivera with his poem BE THANKFUL.
‘It’s Not Easy Being Green:
A Year of Trying to be Environmentally Friendly’
by Caroline Burrows @VerseCycle with Friends
Read by Caroline Burrows VerseCycle
I’ve switched to using loose-leaf tea,
‘Cos teabags sealed with glue leak micro-plastics in the sea.
But my lycra leggings are made from polystyrene,
And leach the same when in the washing machine.
I need to try harder; it’s not easy being green.
2: Read by Paul
Someone I know’s worried about Climate Breakdown,
Wants to see wildlife before it’s all gone,
So he’s flown on holiday to Kenya.
Then I see my coffee’s shipped here from there.
It’s not easy being green; There are no local coffee farmers.
3: Read by Caroline Burrows VerseCycle
Milky cans of worms stir in my coffee cup.
Three lattes a day over the course of a year,
Release enough CO2 into the atmosphere,
To fly me one-way halfway across Europe.
It’s not easy being green; I’m giving lattes up.
4: Read by Kate
A councillor representing the Green Party,
Tells me how hard it is to go car free.
But I’m still a hypocrite with only a bike,
The carbon-fibre forks carbon-footprint ‘ain't light.
It’s not easy being green; one day I’ll get it right.
5: Read by Caroline Burrows VerseCycle
The Lancaster Global Climate Strike’s near,
Approaching with chants, whistles and drums.
Leading from the frontline, school kids appear,
An army with signs held by dads and mums.
It’s not easy being green; but these kids have done their sums.
6: Read by Jonathon Humble https://northernjim.wordpress.com
Do I buy what I need which is one loose lemon,
Or the organic four pack not pesticide sprayed,
On a black plastic tray wrapped in cellophane?
I opt for the single fruit in this conundrum.
It’s not easy being green; Did I get it right or wrong?
7: Read by Caroline Burrows VerseCycle
I refuse a Climate Protest sticker,
Peeled from a roll of laminated paper.
Then my Turkish Delight wrapper makes me dismal,
Eastern promise heads for Lancaster landfill.
It’s not easy being green; this battle’s uphill.
8: Read by Chris Brown Twitter: @ChrisBrownYoga
My bovine milk comes in plastic udders,
But I’ve found a nearby Morecambe dairy,
Has glass bottles of free-range it delivers,
From field and farm into Lancaster city.
It’s not easy being green; but this was elementary.
9: Read by Caroline Burrows VerseCycle
My music heroes are promoting LPs,
An old way to buy the latest album,
While shunning space-saving MP3s,
Most vinyl’s part-made from petroleum.
It’s not easy being green is a digital anthem.
10: Read by Anonymous
I like a certain restaurant’s home-cook pizzas,
But they’re wrapped with polystyrene excess,
Next time I’ll buy a supermarket’s own brand,
They’ve used cardboard, a recycling redress.
It’s not easy being green; the pizza chain’s not hard to guess.
‘A Year of Trying to be Environmentally Friendly:
by Caroline Burrows @VerseCycle
To be environmentally friendly,
Is what I propose to do for a year,
Documenting my endeavors daily,
In poetry that’s nowhere near Shakespeare.
Wilfred Owen said poetry must be truthful,
Truth is, just like you I’m a hypocrite,
So, I’ll write about when I’m successful,
And a weapon of mass-destruction dimwit.
Can just one person make any difference?
It’s worth trying to win rather than lose.
I’ll ride my bike to help go the distance,
Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, and Refuse.
I’ll publish my progress in being greener,
@VerseCycle on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNfagvsYi3w_p-Un63KgS_A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VerseCycle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/versecycle
Facebook: VerseCycle
My Book title is WORDS RIPPED FROM A SOUL STILL BLEEDING: POEMS FOR THE FUTURE EDITION and is available at this amazon link for $11.99 U.S. as a paperback & $4.99 for Nook eBook at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Words-Ripped-Soul-Still-Bleeding/dp/1643456520/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Billy+Lamont%2C+Words+Ripped+From+A+Soul+Still+Bleeding%3A+Poems+For+The+Future+Edition&qid=1593114039&sr=8-1
In passing (no. 45 of E verses)
Maybe none of us truly arrive—
even at the point of death
each sweet soul is still searching
for closure, peace & meaning.
Each one of us is the same person
one is born as: the kindnesses witnessed,
the failing felt, the sins committed,
the lessons repeated until mastery—
until passing into the Great Beyond,
into the rest of the grand Universe,
we fold with constellations of stars
until we become stars,
but our souls, our inner selves
remain the same forever,
no matter where we eventually end up.
http://www.carriemagnessradna.com.
Hurricanes never apologize by Carrie Magness Radna
Link from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hurricanes-Never-Apologize-Carrie-Magness/dp/1950380726/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2E49K8I16RJ3Y&dchild=1&keywords=hurricanes+never+apologize&qid=1593005187&s=books&sprefix=hurricanes+never%2Cstripbooks%2C145&sr=1-1
Link from Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hurricanes-never-apologize-carrie-magness-radna/1135406094?ean=9781950380725
Book showcase
https://www.amazon.com/Disciples-Serpent-C-L-T-Sidney-Williams/dp/1946025348/
by Sidney Williams
@Sidney_Williams
From the publisher's feed