In the frosted light
of a moon-horned night,
the world is beautiful;
with each new sunrise
in the endless skies,
the world is beautiful;
in field and woodland,
marsh, moor and farmland,
the world is beautiful;
wherever rain percolates
soil, rivers, seas and lakes,
the world is beautiful.
But wherever humans tread
on this planet,
they leave a wasted
trail of destruction,
devastation
and pollution –
and the world is still
beautiful.
Kim M. Russell, 23rd August 2018
My response to Poets United Midweek Motif ~ The World Is A Beautiful Place
This week, Sumana has chosen for the Midweek Motif the title and first line of a poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, ‘The World Is A Beautiful Place’. She has also shared quotations from Milton and Marcus du Sautoy. She says that whether the world is truly beautiful or not depends on an individual’s perspectives of the world – it’s an open ended line.
writing in north norfolk 
What a beautiful poem! Sadly the world will not recover from the continual abuse by humans.
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Thank you, Christine!
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You are right about humans. They destroy each other and everything around them. The world is very beautiful in spite of us.But for how long?Did you know that we have even managed to create a trail of pollution and rubbish floating around in space already.?
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Yes! I think we’re on the same wave length in our poems. I love the beauty revealed in your vignettes, and how the last verses bring home that humans are not necessarily part of that beauty. Some of us are good stewards and partners and citizens of earth–despite the fact that our natural environments seem to be add-ons like buildings and fences and concrete and waste–despite the fact that to “add on” we usually co-opt, rape, steal, kill resources from the earth–or live unconsciously in the pillage others have sold to us. Send out the poem, Kim. Show us a way forward, starting with awareness.
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I just missed the deadline for an ecopoem competition!
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“and the world is still/beautiful”: That is a perfect refrain in this verse.
Despite all the destruction brought forth by humans, there are beautiful things in this world.
Really like the short stanzas and the visuals they create. Well-penned. 🙂
-HA
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Thank you, Anmol. 😊
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It always astonishes me, that Mother Nature heaps beauty and blessings upon us, even as we behave in such an undeserving fashion. She so much wants to live.
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She does, and she is so much more powerful and cleverer than we are – she has magic on her side.
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I love the serenity of the lines till I came to the close and felt like hanging my head in shame. I don’t understand why some humans are made this way. Love how the poem ends with a faith in Mother Nature. It’s a beautiful poem Kim.
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Thank you so much, Sumana.
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Such a well done drop in tone. And yet it still seems hopeful. Nice poem.
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Thank you, Jabin.
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So well done Kim.
It is a pity about us humans, what we do – but you’re right – the world is still beautiful.
Anna :o]
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Thank you, Anna. There are always new beautiful places to discover; even where we live, I’m continually finding little villages and hamlets that I didn’t know existed. 🙂
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