Out of Progress Comes?

Human inventions allow me

to see wild life in places that

I might not otherwise see.

I am captivated by tv

on views of blue sky, aquamarine sea

and pristine, bright, white sand.

A stretch of beach in paradise,

observe the march of the hermit crab

who has outgrown his old home.

Made homeless by a lack of shells,

shells taken as souvenirs by

tourists, ever thirsty for a reminder.

I contemplate the fate of the crab,

before my eyes alight on plastic and tin cans

heaped in a corner of this beach.

And my dismay when the crab tries

for size cast off rubbish left behind

by those hell bent on destroying our planet.

Reviews

[Dave]

Chris - thanks for the reminder of how we so neglect the bounty
of nature that is provided for us. So many refuse to understand
that it is not promised to last forever for us. That if we wish to
continue to enjoy it, we must preserve it, not just for ourselves,
but for future generations.

I too garner great pleasure from watching the shows provided by
National Geographic.

Take care - as should we all - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Dave. We all have a responsibility to care for our planet, sadly some are too selfish to care about what will be left for future generations. Always good to see you Dave on my page. All good wishes.

Chris

[Lydia Shutter]

Brings to mind the Public Service Commercial that used to air on TV when I was a young girl....the Native American looked at the garbage thrown out of cars and a tear came down his cheek. Yes, the crabs are without their shells and those who bring them home probably discard them eventually anyway. It seems there is little appreciation for the nature beauty of our world these days. Beautifully written, Christine. Lydi**

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Lydi** for your thoughtful and caring response. All of us need to wake up to the damage we are doing to our planet.

Chris

[Ken Simm.]

Good points and well made as my old teacher used to say Chris. I suffer for the future of this planet but I too find most of my knowledge of the world through David Attenborough.
Although it must be said as I live on West Coast Scotland I can usually see the damage done by just looking.You wouldn't believe the things I've found around here and the islands.
Good job Christine.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ken. It appears there is no area which is exempt from our bad behaviour. It is a huge problem. I love David Attenborough:s programmes as well and many others in a similar vein. Your response greatly appreciated. All good wishes.

Chris

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Chris, your poem speaks to the truth. I can appreciate every word you've written and it's a sad commentary on the inhabitants of the world. In my personal opinion, I believe it is too late to turn back the hands of time. Unfortunately, we've dug our own grave.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful poem that should awaken us to reality. :)

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Tamara for your response. I sincerely hope we haven't left it too late. We all need to wake up.

Chris

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Christine, you are welcome.

I don't post much here anymore, because my computer runs slow as glue on this site. It may have to do with the large amount of ads that are being downloaded. So, if you don't see me much, it isn't your poetry or your fault.

Take care!

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Tamara. Sorry the site adverts cause you problems. I hope you find somewhere else that suits. Very happy to see you on my page always.

Chris

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Yes, it takes so long to reply, but I also know ads support this site, so I'll post from time to time. :)

[John the Baptist]

This offering seems to have been inspired by an experience of the poet's, and it is a straightforward comment on an urgent problem. Nature is being overwhelmed by human refuse, especially in the form of plastics. I recently read about a shark that was found with 64 lbs. of plastic in its stomach. Somewhere in the Pacific there is a floating patch of plastic larger than the state of Texas. The poet's description of plastic heaped on an otherwise beautiful beach is an apt metaphor for the greater problem. If we don't learn to put our trash away, it will eventually put us away. Very timely message here.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for your interesting response. It is really upsetting to find out what we have done to our planet, and the knock on effect it has on wild life and the food chain. That poor whale and the floating patch in the Pacific is nothing short of a nightmare.

Chris

[john l smith]

I suppose this is one of my favorite rants, that of the disrespect of too many humans toward the planet/environment
I think that an attitude shift has taken root, I just hope it comes in time to be meaningful
Good write
Dave

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Dave. I sincerely hope you are right and we haven't left it too late :(

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

adapt and survive eh!? i love the hermit crab ;) litter is a plague ... i live in the middle of the Ozark Mountains ... the dirt road to our home is about 3 miles long ... there are other scattered homes about 1 every 4-50 acres ... and still i pick up tossed pop bottles, water bottles, bags, and McD's stryrofoam boxes ... it makes no sense ... >;/
E.

[Chris Shaw]

Hello Mr E. Good to see you here and your thoughts so welcome. Even when you appear to be in the middle of nowhere, like you are, it still rears its ugly head. What a sad reflection on us. Be well and all good wishes.

Chris

[Lorry]

Someone I used to know suggested taking small stones as souvenirs and I now have a little pebble garden from America, Canada, Sweden, Portugal and from all over Scotland when I go hiking. Im not sure how many crabs hsve been rehoused due to this, but, as tesco keeps remining us, every little helps. :)
Beaches or hiking, its amazing how ignorant some people can be to the beauty surrounding them, who only add to the problems by leaving their own rubbish to add to it and spoil it for others. I mean, im not suggesting the death penalty or anything, maybe a couple of years hard labour though :)

[Chris Shaw]

I don't think I will ever forget that hermit crab squeezing in to a coke can. That really hit home hard. Beautiful beach with rubbish washed in from the sea. It's the cans and plastics that do it. Your little collection of stones, won't harm the hermit crab Lorry::)) Hard labour, yep if caught dumping, they should be made to clean up. Many thanks for your thoughts.


Chris

[Papaya]

Firstly, I love those nature shows too.
I watch them on Netflix with my children sometimes.
Secondly, it annoys me to no end when I see our trash soiling nature.
Nice write Chris!

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Ana, I love watching those programmes, but like you I recoil at the damage we are doing. Your visit appreciated for my little rant.

Chris