If Nature Erected Walls

if nature erected walls
to keep foreign plants off native soil
dug the foundation deeply
to make evil roots recoil
built the barriers high
and
higher
could she prevent alien seeds from crossing
in their clingy flight on winged things
would she try
or
would she,
the master artist,
paint the vivid colors of biodiversity
and be glad for her expanding pallet
then
I wonder
if nature erected walls
to protect her vulnerable places
would she build herself a chastity-belt fence
to halt earth-stripping exposure
from lusty, mechanical hands
and
stop
fracked-oil raping
that leave her lovely portraits
smothered in charcoal hues
rent
and
ruined
I wonder
if nature erected walls
what part would she ban

~

Words and Photography ©2017 Tanya Cliff ~ to contact me

Posted in poetry & free verse. Bookmark the permalink.

75 thoughts on “If Nature Erected Walls”

  1. Nice one, Tanya. So good to see you here again. “Show me a fifty foot wall and I’ll show you a fifty-one foot ladder” … my favorite quote. Sunny here and starting to breathe again: the tulips are up and Clare is putting washing out on the line … must be spring … for a day or two.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Roger! Glad to hear you have some warmth your way! Hope it stays for you. We have windows open. It’s sunny and pleasant…a relief after a long winter!

      Reply

  3. Walls were of course erected centuries ago to protect cities. But today, we all live so close together and have a number of other things such as land, political, and cultural issues, that walls don’t seem to be the answer anymore. I would like to find an effective way to keep borders safe from evil people…but what?

    🙂

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    1. Certainly we have a nation filled with evil, especially in the form of greed. I think if we focused more on helping others than trying to keep them away from us, we would start to make a dent in the world’s problems, especially in the area of poverty. At least that would be my take on it…😊

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      1. And I agree with you, especially where helping others in dire need is concerned. But as you said, this nation, (world), is filled with evil and we need to find some way to sort out those who would really appreciate the help from those who would take our help and then turn on us…

      2. We can start with starving babies.
        There are far too many of them in this world. Babies with nothing quickly grow into adults with nothing to live for. We can do better.

      3. Again, I agree with you. Starving babies should be a first priority as they are the most needy and helpless among us. We may always have them, but we can do better to feed many more.

  4. Good one. They worked so hard to get the wall in Berlin down so now we are going to spend billions to put it up here. I almost can’t watch what’s happening.

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    1. Thank you! I know. It makes no sense at all. We don’t become “safe” because wall goes up. It won’t stop cancer or poverty. Drugs will get in anyway. Money that could go toward fixing some of those problems, gets dumped into a wall…
      That will be pulled down by a wise generation someday.

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      5. Oh it won’t be relaxing or not boring until Monday. I am catering a dinner party for some bourgeois clients, I have 3 clients here on the island I will cook for this summer. All dinner parties, 6 upcoming. I turn down gigs on a weekly basis thanks to family members suggesting to folks they should hire me. Sometimes I think I should have moved to Fiji.

      6. hahaha…Oh, no. Well, food is an art form. This is your artistry on display! (It’s the positive spin on hard work.😊)

      7. I did this hard work for 26 years, 14 hour days, but I did get to travel the world, so no complaints from me. I am now very lazy and like my quiet solitude. I love being able to get out of bed when I choose, no more clock punching. Good to always talk with you Ms. Tanya, thank you.

      10. I am in the midst of putting together another Ken video, and they are helping me…Lol
        Nothing like a few smoke bombs and some fake blood to bond with my children over…

      12. My children and I are really blessed to respect and enjoy each other. It’s far from perfect, but it is good. We had a lot of fun today. The smoke bombs were big and the fake blood messy. Poor Ken. He doesn’t fare so well in this video, something my children found incredibly funny. 😊😉

      13. Perfect is relative I think. When a parent achieves what you have, respect, love and good times as a family, with your children, thats the entire parenting battle. Won.

  7. Tanya, well done, my lady. I was thinking of pesticides as that “wall” you describe. Pests find a way to survive, so each vintage of pesticides has to be stronger. In the end, we may not be able stop those pests. We are already have a time inventing new antibiotics for humans to stop new strains of diseases. Keith

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Keith! Biodiversity, especially the propagation of heritage plants, would help in that area. We hybridize a one-size-fits-all GMO crop, but if that crop fails…then what?

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      1. Tanya, the most vivid remembrance of the movie “Intestellar,” is the first part of the movie as to why we had to leave the planet. We could no longer grow crops. It could be water loss, it could be the chemicals we use or it could be overpopulation or some combination. Keith

  9. This is such an accurate analogy with our current political climate. It really makes one think. I know I’ve said it before but I have to say it again, you are so gifted Tanya!

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      2. It will be up next week. I’m just putting the final edits on it…Poor Ken! He kinda sorta got blown to bits in this one…😆😉

    1. Everything is good. It’s been a busy week. I’m working my next couple of books of adaptations. The weather is beautiful here, and I’m able to work outside for some of the day! Have a wonderful weekend, Steve!

      Reply

      1. It’s good that you are busy…I doubted that you were just sitting on your hands wasting the day away! Glad to hear your weather is good. I just talked to my sister in Texas, but all the storms are skipping over her. That’s a blessing…

        Our days are good here. We deal with inland marine layers. It can get a bit gloomy for part of the day, but that sun usually comes busting through. Rain is on tap for several days next week.

        Thanks for such a quick answer, Tanya. Take it easy… 🙂

      5. Yes, we are truly blessed when it comes to weather. Calif. has a number of “micro-climates” meaning that one can go to the mountains for snow, to the desert for dirt bikes and trail hiking and to the coast for the beach, all in the same day! That why we have millions of people who flock here all the time…

      6. This is a beautiful place three seasons out of four…the forth just lingers…Lol
        You are blessed…
        All that sunshine!

      7. And I feel you are blessed with the change of seasons. Yes, the winter, (I assume) lingers a bit longer than you’d like, but it must be necessary to maintain the ecology of your area…

        I know you do love that sunshine, Tanya! Have a good one today! 🙂

      9. Well today we are searching for some sunshine ourselves. It’s that marine layer. It moved way inland and has blocked the sun so far. By the way, we are getting reports of a bad storm that hit in Wisconsin. Hope it is no where near you!

      11. Boy, they really missed the boat on the weather report for us today. It was supposed to be 72 and sunny going up another 10 degrees for tomorrow. Today has been gray and cool! Can you kindly send back some of that sunshine I sent you last week? 🙂

      15. Just talked with my sister in Texas. Some summer storm activity and waiting for that really hot period of time not too far away. You enjoy your weekend too, Tanya! 🙂

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