"Earth's Precious Life"
by
John Fricker (Angmering)
Expanding matter and energy
Of mystery and infinity
In darkness, deep space
Eternal, beyond understanding.
Five billion years ago, Sun's dust and gas
Collapsed by gravity, to form Earth's mass.
Molten matter, asteroids, nuclear fission,
Chaos, chaos, beyond our vision
Conditions on earth's cooling crust we know
Suited life four billion years or so ago.
Beyond belief through chemistry
Life's origins of complexity.
Organic molecules began to form
In replication the wonder of life was born
All living things are from one
Nucleic acids, genetic code and cell
All animals, plants, fungi as well
Symbiotic protista and bacterium
That gave life, sex and oxygen
Form and function, evolved complexity
Of mystery, chance and of necessity
Gradually from sea to land life arrived
And randomly diversified.
Climate change, mass extinctions
Survival through selective adeptations
Evolving form that changed and grew
To make the likes of me and you
Perhaps unique in universal space
In precious life we take our place
One chance we have, the joy to share
This wonderland in need of care
Our message should be to contain
Unselfishly, conserve, sustain
That when we are but planet dust
We gave this earth its future trust
This poem has been set to music for a four part medium sized choir or a small singing group, together with a few instruments, namely piano, strings, percussion and trumpet. It can be sung with just piano accompaniment; however , instrumants do generate very atmospheric music. For further details, contact the Editor of Angmering Village Life in the first instance.
"Our Earth"
by
Nipper Potter (Angmering)
Our Earth, our planet, our universe,
our trees and plants that flower,
what do we know, what have we done,
with our sense of common power?
Zest for life for granted taken,
we pretend to know it all;
but when you sit and think a while,
our Earth is but a ball.
One chance we get to change our ways,
to improve this world, our Earth,
and make it far much safer,
to a world of valued worth.
No more burning of the forests,
not polluting of our air,
let's pull together everyone,
and show our children that we care.
Eternity means changeless,
for it's not too late to alter,
so don't sit back, do nothing,
hesitation just means falter.
When I am around no longer,
I would love to dearly see
from Heaven above, a world below
full of people, disease-free.
"Somerset Levels 1983"
by
Rifka (Angmering)
Once upon a time
two figures stride
across the Levels.
Overhead a line of swans fly,
the wings create unearthly sound.
They stop, they gaze
in open-mouthed surprise
these friends, these new friends,
unaware as they continue
that they walk on stolen land.
A land of many levels.
where Monmouth’s ragged warriors
lie in ancient deep decay,
Where webfoot badgers dig
their secret island sets.
And beneath the herons’
waving treetop nests
they talk, these two,
of past and future things.
Innocent of the present
that they hold as gift.
"Our Village"
by
Ivy Francis (1907-2001)
There's a little place twixt Down and Sea
Will always mean 'sweet home' to me.
Its woods and fields are simply grand
A truly green and pleasant land.
Our church the village overlooks
And to the west runs babbling brooks.
The Romans loved our quiet spot
For relics they have left a lot.
In Domesday Book too, we are told
The hamlet had its name enrolled.
Its name is very pretty too
When said correctly though - it's true.
Can you guess what it can be?
Why, Angmering, Sussex by the Sea.