This Cannot Be Our Home

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By Jane Hyphen

Mon, 14 Mar 2022
  • 7050 reads
20 comments
 

 

We are not earthly,

we cannot thrive here

without all our rags and shoes,

dry shelters, heated, cooled.

We all need padded cells.

There is so much food, 

mass eaten, mass grown,

wrapped up like presents,

and we deserve them,

half eaten, much wasted.

Upholstered bodies,

encumbered by ourselves

but we are always sad.

 

We cannot live within

our own agrestal means.

We don’t belong here,

walking on two legs,

tearing up the ground,

trampling hard and deep,

leaving more than our mark.

We breathe in like giants,

out like dragons.

We hide behind our gods.

We’re not poisonous but

we make our poison;

sell it, buy it back

to choke ourselves 

 

We can’t belong here

or this would be enough.

To antagonise….. 

that wouldn’t be our game,

if this was our true home.

But we are aliens. 

We’ll never stop searching

for what it is, that’s missing,

turning over and destroying,

invading and devouring.

We’ve come to look for something,

hunting it until the very end.

The end of an ending,

Obliteration of this land

which couldn’t be our home.

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Di_Hard on

This is the most thought provoking thing I have read for a very long time. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you Di_Hard for your comment. I feel like humans are increasingly at odds with the rest of nature but it's been proven that nature makes us feel happier. You know the rest.

 

Submitted by Ewan on

A splendid depiction of ourselves as a parasitic blight on Gaia itself. Skilfully done and with possibly the first use of 'Agrestal' I've ever seen in a poem.
Please share and or retweet this splendid poem if you can.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you for pick of the daysmiley. 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

If I undertand it aright it is about the dichotomy between feeling so much is right about our earth and yet it is abused, and the fellow-travellers are abused and there is dissatisfaction. The Bible says it was made special and just right for us, but some of that idealness was removed because of sin and rebellion against God's rule, and grumbling and greed and abuse of resources increases the furstration. But all have a 'God-shaped hole' and only feel satisfied when he is taken in and helps us to be more content and sharing and await the best to come. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

The earth is just about perfect except for the bits where human behaviour, often driven by big business have reduced it to a polluted wasteland. I agree that we all have a hole, maybe it is God-shaped, I don't know but there is great contentment in being part of nature, rather than consuming it as a commodity.  Thank you for reading. I really appreciate your comment Rhiannon.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Jane you are really on a roll with your writing at the moment - please keep going. Another fantastic, insightful piece, thank you!

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you Insert. I find the weekly IP a good inspiration. We are fascinated and frightened by the idea that aliens might invade and destroy Earth but are we just talking about ourselves?smiley

 

Submitted by Frances Macaula... on

Inspiring, depressing, thoughtful and worrying.  Thank you for such an inciteful and interesting view of the world, Jane. I often feel alien. Congratuations on the golden cherries!

Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/search?q=FrancesMF

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you so much Frances for reading and commenting. I think I'm an alien toosmiley

 

Submitted by Magnolia Fay on

I completely feel that sense of not belonging you describe. It's like we feel it regardless. We feel it when we live in our own curated, urban communities, and long for a simpler, slower life, more connected to nature. And when in nature, we want to make the rules, we want to bend nature to our needs and wants. Ultimately, we never find what we are looking for, one way or the other. 

Thank you for this thought-provoking piece. 

 

Magnolia Fay

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Hi Magnolia, thank you for reading and your excellent and inciteful comment. I agree, we're never satisfied and whatever it is we're looking for, we fail to ever really identify it let alone find it. The human condition is puzzling.

 

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

Yowser! That sure was a doozy of a write. Applauding here. Shold be read aloud. Really , really enjoyed this, Jane. You sure do have a way with the alphabet.

Rich

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you Rich for reading and your wonderful comment. I had to look up the meaning of 'doozy', it's not really a word we use here. I like it, great compliment.

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

Beautiful piece, Jane, brilliantly written. Absolute belter of an IP. 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you airyfairysmiley

 

Submitted by Ewan on

Congratulations.

Please share and retweet all of you who read this.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Nolan on

I've thought seriously that insects are from outer space to colonise earth, well really just to look at them. Really look. They are definitely alien!! The thing obviously is that they are so tiny we don't really see a threat but that exactly is what makes them dangerous all the more. Perhaps in time insects will be rulers of the planet if not already, they certainly are better adapted than us. It will be a real war of the worlds and humans caught snoozing. And there are millions of species even and I haven't heard either of a species becoming extinct.

No sleepless nights! & Nolan

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I loved this, loved the idea that we are the aliens, still looking for a a home. I thought I was the only one!! I really liked the breath in like giants, out like dragons bit. And also, it has the pace of someone walking, talking, with almost blinkered intensity except for the odd slowing/pause like in the 'but we are always sad' bit. 

 

Submitted by celticman on

yes, absolutely.