The New Order

The New Order

The grass grows between the paving cracks

And spreads unchecked in roadside borders

Whilst wild flowers riot unmolested in the parks

And cleaner water flows in crystal course

The air less tainted tastes so much sweeter

And easier to breathe these days

Little movement on the streets

But for a few clandestine scuttlings

An emptiness of open spaces

No meetings or gatherings

And an absence of touching

But not of feeling or of aching

Felines now wander where they will

And taunt the dogs that pine un-walked

Whilst finches flit and fill the budding trees

And thrill the air with chattered song

Undiminished by any traffic noise

Wildlife reasserts its old domain

Where hunting hawks fly through open skies

Needing no air traffic control to move around

And foxes steal back into urban gardens

Sneaking between the strands of un-mowed lawns

Underneath the floors of long-abandoned sheds

The Earth is winding slowly down

And learning what is possible once again

It’s listening to Nature’s stronger voice

Are there really dolphins visiting the canals?

And wolves wandering back in to towns?

Will the bears soon come to join them?

And the new order come to pass?

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2020