Ecology lesson from a creature called Fred

There came a knock on my front door, And there stood an alien 12 foot four, With waving tentacles and skin of green, Not the prettiest sight I’d ever seen. ‘Sorry to trouble you,’ one head said, ‘But my spaceship’s battery is quite dead. ‘I come in peace, so have no fear, ‘From a place that’s cosmically quite near.’ ‘Sure, help yourself,’ I couldn’t be rude, ‘Can I get you a coffee or perhaps some food?’ ‘That’s awfully kind,’ another head said, ‘My name translates to the Earth name Fred.’ We pottered about and got his battery fixed, He spoke of his journey and the awful risks Of interstellar flight and how warping space Can get you quickly from place to place. He spoke of his planet and its binary suns, And how quaint it is we’ve got just one, So I asked if he’d take me for a ride And he said: ‘No probs, just step inside.’

In the blink of an eye, we arrived on Gluck And I climbed outside to take a look, Two blazing suns in cloudless skies Shone so bright it hurt my eyes. Fred showed me around and I have to say I can’t remember when I’d had such a day, Breathtaking wonders and awesome sights And time slipped by at the speed of light. I saw seas of red and trees of blue Flora and fauna of every hue, All that I saw overflowed with life No hint of pain or hate or strife. In time I sadly turned to Fred: ‘Can you take me home? It’s time for bed.’ But I saw Fred’s eyes all fill with tears, And he said: ‘It just confirmed our fears. ‘You humans don’t deserve the Earth, ‘You’ve no idea just what

it’s worth. ‘You poison the land and poison the seas, ‘You poison the lakes and butcher the trees, ‘You poison the air and animals die, ‘I saw all these things and it made me cry. ‘I’ll take you back to your dying Earth, ‘That globe that gave your species birth. ‘But you were kind to me, I call you friend, ‘I’ll come back for you just before the end.’

Mick Ellis, Ipswich.