Can building a better understanding of the past help us to reimagine the way that we see it, with more empathy perhaps? Is there anything we could do to help plants, insects, animals, and other life that are still here? We do need space to live, breathe and thrive, but do we really need all the space we take up or are there any bits that we could share or “give back”?

I made a short film narrated by my poem, which you can watch below. Thanks to Emma for her help with filming! 

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My House was Once a Meadow

I’d like it if you would
Take a walk with me.
Along these streets
Along this road
Along this path
That once was a meadow.
Oh not so long ago
Tiny meadow plants
Microbes, mycorrhiza
Alive in the cracks
Of concrete stone and brick.
Still there, just.
In little ways,
Clinging on to life.
As we drive over them
Unbeknownst to us
Their history
Of clans and kin
Put down roots
Long before we did.
Now I see
That we only took
And did not share.
We were scared.
We sought shelter.
And what we thought was
A better life.
I look below and
I see them.
I look above
And I know they’re there too.
We do remember you.