Winter is near

The winter of humankind draws near

Science has spoken in alarm

The day may be warm, unseasonal

Land whips at our faces

Too spoiled to take root

For all the rot we fed it

The well of life ran dry

As the last drop fell from our swollen lips

Our gods of gold had fallen short

Adorned in accolades we buried them too

Perhaps one day another kind

Will unveil our bones of mystery

On what was once such fertile ground

Should they enquire

How we never grew to regard our limits

To value the welfare of life and land

There remains of course one moment left

One movement to change the trajectory

Write a new chapter

To mark a start not the finale

-Camille Delaquise

This poem appears in RISE, Camille’s second contemporary poetry collection. Winter is near explores the reckoning that follows ecological arrogance — confronting the costs of excess, denial and worship of wealth while still holding open the possibility that human beings might choose change before collapse becomes final.

This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.