The Beauty and the Sorrow

Despite the title of my new ecopoetry collection, it is not all doom and despair. There is beauty and wonder. And hope. In her inspiring collection of essays, Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit describes despair as a trap that gets you off the hook. “If the world is totally doomed no matter what, little or nothing is demanded of you in response. You can go be bitter and idle on your sofa if you’re already comfortable and safe.” I admit to falling into that trap myself sometimes. Faced with rapidly accelerating changes in the earth’s climate due to the burning of fossil fuels and the despicable lies of politicians who continue to call climate change a hoax (along with all the misinformed people who believe them), it is difficult to remain hopeful. And as Solnit reminds us, those in this administration who continue to profit from fossil fuels “would love you to believe that it’s hopeless, that you have no power, that there’s no reason to act, that you can’t win.”

Despite this, there are plenty of reasons for hope. The first step, however, is facing the problem. True, “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” writes James Baldwin. I hope that my poems will in some small way lead you to better appreciate the immense dangers facing the earth today along with all its wonders and beauty. And may they help inspire you to act.

Here is what one reviewer writes about these poems:

“Through his poetry,  Gene Twaronite captures both the beauty and the sorrow inherent in our rapidly changing environment. Each poem, rich with vivid imagery and evocative language, invites readers to contemplate the urgent environmental challenges facing our planet and the consequences of our actions. His poetry frequently employs metaphors as a tapestry, emphasizing the intricate connections that bind every element of nature together. From the smallest microbe to the secret signals exchanged among trees, or the powerful link we feel with gorillas, his work highlights how each thread is essential to the integrity of the whole. He contrasts the natural splendor surrounding us with the reality that our interactions with nature often cause harm or disorientation. In the complexities of our encounters with the environment, especially the role of fire in a warming global climate, he illustrates how these moments can be transformative and irreversibly destructive. This is a poignant and sobering collection of poems that hopefully will inspire readers to pursue an alternate future reality.”

Les Corey, retired conservation executive and forest ecologist, served for over fifty years in leadership positions with the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and numerous environmental organizations.

The collection includes both new and selected poems from a lifetime of writing, and are written in a clear accessible style. Now available from Kelsay Books https://kelsaybooks.com/products/watch-us-burn-poems-for-a-lost-earth as well as Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Watch-Us-Burn-Poems-Earth/