Emerging into the Light - oil painting (unframed)

Emerging into the Light

A wave moves beneath him,

from the shallows to the deep.

The swan skims the water,

gently with his beak.

Filling his mouth with chemicals,

toxic rubbish and plastic waste.

His body destroyed by scum,

His organs slowly debased.

He’s surrounded by a cloud,

of acid, acrid rain.

Foaming spitting waves,

causing terrible pain.

Drenching his wings

with splinters, particles of dust.

A world full of sludge,

sediment and rust.

Like the fated Hesperus,

danger is everywhere.

The stagnant air consumes,

filling him with despair.

Pelting mists that prick,

sting and hurt his eyes.

‘A polluted habitat,

is all there is!’ he cries.

An incandescent brightness,

appears to come.

A loud angry wail,

making him fall dumb.

As artificial light,

from a truck’s headlight beam,

Shines glary and destructive,

makes him want to scream.

It casts out the darkness,

blocking out the light.

Photo-toxic exposure,

powerful, and bright.

A deer crosses wide-eyed,

across the hollowed road.

Scarcely missing the vehicle’s

steely, viscous load.

The swan tries to warn him,

of the trucks destructive force.

He’s seen too many creatures,

hit by cars speeding course.

Small bodies litter the roadside,

as no one seems to care.

It makes his heart break,

but all he can do is stare.

The swan moves from the shadows,

emerging into the light.

His wings clipped by toxins,

have become powerless for flight.

Nightmares frighten him often,

because of what they tell,

Scary enough in dreams,

but when true become a living hell.

The swan sees beyond twilight,

to a horizon, bright and clear.

The sunlight his inspiration,

takes away his fear.

His head turns to sunshine,

to a future filled with hope.

His heart belongs to freedom,

not a sky choked with smoke.

He cannot live a second,

without the sun in the sky.

But his home is being destroyed,

little by little, by and by.

The sun’s healing sustains,

nurturing all life that exists.

It feeds his soul’s survival,

as sunlight to life coexist.

Not clogged up air polluted,

poisoned by chemical fumes,

Blocking out the light,

living in catacombs.

Nature held back,

endangered and in decline,

The swan’s lamented swansong

is a great big warning sign.