Wildness in our Hearts

The Wildness in our Hearts Podcast  

There’s a hint of hope in the air,

An awareness,

An awakening of old connections,

Eyes opening, recognition we’ve been careless.

 

The world breathed a cleaner sky through covid lockdown,

While we were given time out,

A chance to stop and think,

Dig deep, and remember what life is truly about.

 

The wildness blossomed in our absence,

And we saw what we had done,

Recognised the need for change,

The time for choices has begun.

 

Wildlife is dying,

Extinction lists are long,

Climate change, natural disasters, mental health declines,

But we have started listening to nature’s song.

 

There’s a hint of hope in the air,

Small steps towards a healthier future,

Rewilding urban environments,

Weeds, our wildflowers, no longer deemed a slur.

 

Canopied corridors in our cities,

Cooling the streets, cleaning the air,

Safe passage for humans and insects,

Showing that we care.

 

Vertical hanging gardens,

Adorning ugly high-rise buildings,

Once deserts of dirt, despair, and anger,

Now havens of green and wings.

 

Abandoned elevated railway,

Reclaimed, rewilded,

Flowers and trees, food for birds and bees,

A green space for all, our stressed minds unclouded.

 

Defunct shopping centres transformed,

Diversity returning, rarely seen in a city,

Woodlands, wildflowers, wetlands,

Nature and therapy combined and pretty.

 

Empty building lots cleared of rubbish,

Replanted, flowers and food grown and gathered,

Shared purpose, shared pride,

Community health restored, it mattered.

 

There’s a hint of hope in the air,

Peat bogs valued and restored,

The link between nature and humans,

Embraced, no longer ignored.

 

Less chemicals sprayed on grass and crop,

Natural predators are not unwanted thugs,

Ladybird larvae munching on aphids,

Hedgehogs safely feast on slugs.

 

Organic farming, local produce,

Wildflower meadows full of life,

Healthier food for us and animals,

Diversity is rife.

 

Forests bought and preserved,

Trees planted, creating carbon sinks,

Less flooding, soil erosion,

Looking after nature, we are seeing the links.

 

There’s a hint of hope in the air,

Despite species in serious decline,

Sixth mass extinction event hovers on the horizon,

But we know, changes can be made in time.

 

Beavers reintroduced,

Slowing rivers, flooding controlled,

Frogs, otters, fish, and voles return,

To their habitats of old.

 

Wolves reintroduced in Yellowstone,

Beavers, bears return, prey balance achieved,

Soil composition restored, bank erosion halted,

Positive results now nature is believed.

 

Pine Martins protected in Ireland.

Grey squirrels their prey,

Red squirrels have the chance to thrive,

Off the extinction lists they stay.

 

There’s a hint of hope in the air,

Now we’re seeing, listening, feeling, earth mother,

However small a step we take,

We owe it to the world, ourselves, each other.

 

Wildlife pushed to the margins,

Now embraced with opened eyes,

Nesting sites left undisturbed, insects welcomed,

Old knowledge starts to rise.

 

Bat box, bird box, and beehives,

Insect hotels, holes in fences,

All animals welcomed not denied,

Knowledge of their importance commences.

 

Deadheads left as food for birds,

Cuttings piled not burnt,

Natural ponds and bowls of water,

Practicing what we’ve learnt.

 

Pots of herbs on windowsills,

A tomato plant climbs high,

Native flowers in a tub or box,

For those creatures who like to fly.

 

A wildflower patch in the corner of a garden,

No treatment on the lawn,

Untidy corners, native plants,

We are seeing a new dawn.

 

There’s a hint of hope in the air,

As we allow the wild to grow,

Complex simplicity of this world,

If we accept nature’s flow.

 

So let the wildness blossom,

Observing balance as it starts,

One step and then another, accepting,

The wildness in our hearts.